


Team Exercise

by soulmetalfairy



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Attempted Murder, BAMF Clint Barton, BAMF Natasha Romanov, Bruce Banner & Tony Stark Friendship, Car Accidents, Clint Barton & Natasha Romanov Friendship, Clint Barton Is a Good Bro, Gen, Hurt Bruce Banner, Hurt Clint Barton, Hurt Natasha Romanov, Hurt Steve Rogers, Hurt Thor (Marvel), Hurt Tony Stark, Hurt/Comfort, Kidnapping, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Post-Avengers (2012), Protective Steve Rogers, Steve Rogers & Thor Friendship, Steve Rogers Is a Good Bro, Tony Stark Has A Heart, Tony Stark Has Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-21
Updated: 2019-05-16
Packaged: 2019-10-12 21:03:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 18
Words: 43,518
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17474933
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/soulmetalfairy/pseuds/soulmetalfairy
Summary: It's been a month since the chitauri attacked New York. The Avengers have made Stark tower their base, and have begun the process of moving in. However, there are those out there who believe that the Avengers are to blame for what had happened to the city. After an attempt is made on their lives, what will they do to track down who is doing this before someone else gets hurt, or worse, killed?





	1. Chapter 1

A month had passed since the Chitauri had invaded New York City.

A month since the Avengers were first brought together to save the world.

A month since rebuilding efforts had begun.

Steve Rogers stood in front of the doors to what had once been Stark Tower. He had been invited over, along with the other members of the team, to live in the tower.

That had shocked him more then most things did.

It looked like he was the first to arrive. He was not surprised about this however. After all, SHIELD had given him an apartment in the city to live in, so he was the closest to the tower.

Looking up at the building reminded Steve of everything that had happened during the fight. The tower had been unrecognizable after everything was said and done. Now it looked the same, except for one glaring detail.

Instead of the Stark name emblazoned at the top, there was only a large A.

Steve had a feeling he knew what that was for.

Well, Steve knew he needed to stop putting this off. Stark was waiting up there for him.

He walked into the building, were he ran into a woman sitting at the front desk. The second she looked up to him she smiled.

'' Mr.Stark said to be expecting you.'' She said, reaching out to hand Steve a slip of paper. '' Type that into the keypad on the elevator, and it will take you up to see him.'' She explained.

'' Thank you.'' Steve said, glancing down to the paper as he walked towards the elevator. He typed in the code, and a second later the elevator was rushing up so fast that his ears began to pop. The elevator reached the right floor in seconds.

_**Welcome Captain Rogers. Sir is waiting for you.** _

Steve was confused by this. Who's voice was that?

He pushed this aside, and stepped out into the hallway. He followed it a ways, until it finally let out into the communal floor.

He gaped at the size of it alone.

The room was larger then his apartment.

'' You trying to catch flies there Cap?''

Steve looked over to find Tony standing in front of the large couch in the middle of the floor.

'' You like it?'' Tony asked. '' I thought something like this would be good for everyone.'' He stated.

Steve was unable to speak, still in shock.

'' How... How on earth did you manage this?'' Steve asked.

'' It doesn't take much if you know what strings to pull.'' Tony stated. '' But you haven't answered my question, you like it?'' Tony asked.

Steve nodded as he continued to look around the room.

'' So you're the first one to arrive. You want the tour?'' Tony asked.

'' Sure.'' Steve said. '' But where will I be staying?'' He asked.

'' Your floor is two down from here.'' Tony stated.

Steve gaped again.

He had a whole floor?

'' A whole floor?'' Steve asked in shock.

'' Yeah.'' Tony stated. '' All of you have one.'' he added.

'' Geez.... That's..... Wow.'' Was all that Steve was able to say.

'' You want to see?'' Tony asked.

All Steve could do was nod.

'' Then let's go.''

They boarded the elevator, and rode it down two floors. When the door opened Steve was the first to step out. It looked rather plain to him, which he actually liked. It reminded him of his old apartment in Brooklyn before he became Captain America.

'' I didn't have them add all that much because I wanted you to decide what you wanted on the floor. The bedrooms are all the way down the hall, and there's a training room to the right of that since I figured you would want one of those anyways. If you want anything else then don't hesitate to ask.'' Tony explained.

Steve was once again rendered speechless as he stepped out to take a look around the place.

He could not believe just how much space there was.

'' This is way to much.'' Steve whispered. '' My whole apartment could fit in one of these room.'' He stated.

'' I figured you'd want more space.'' Tony said. Steve nodded, unable to argue with that.

'' Does everyone have their own floor?'' Steve asked.

'' Yeah.'' Tony answered. He stepped out of the elevator to stand beside Steve. '' It's no different then yours really. I didn't want to make something you guys would hate, so you get to choose what you want on you floors.'' He explained.

'' Ok.'' Steve said, a grin passing his face. '' I could get used to this.''

Tony nodded from his left.

Steve could barely believe any of this. He absolutely loved this.

He could get used to this.

 

\---

 

Within about two hours of Steve's arrival the others began to show up.

Natasha was next to show up, toating a suit case and a backpack with her. Steve remembered her mentioning that she did not own much. However, he never realized just how little she owned.

Clint was right behind her, toating just about the same amount of stuff except he had an extra suit case with him.

Bruce was next, only having a backpack with him because he liked to travel light if at all possible. He seemed a bit nervous when he showed up, clearly worried about what could happen if h had a Hulk out in the building. However, Tony had thought ahead for that. His floor was as he liked to call it, Hulk proof. There was a special room there as well that was hulk proof that was basically impenetrable.

Thor was the last one to show up. Like the first time they had met him, he showed up with a flash, landing on the deck outside the communal floor. He did not have anything with him other than the clothes on his back, and his hammer. This did not surprise Steve. He figured that the style they wore where he was from did not mix well with what they wear.

Just like Steve had been, they were all shocked to learn that they had their own floor to themselves. It was kind of comical to watch them gawking at it the same way he had when he had arrived.

The team was settled into what would now become their base.

Their home.

 

\---

 

He stared up at the tower with absolute disgust.

How dare it till be standing after what else was done to the city.

It did not deserve to stand, not after what they had done to the city, and to its people.

He wanted to see it crumble to the ground. Turn it into a pile of ash with those who were inside of it.

'' You know we could do it.''

He turned to face his friend. His right arm was still in a sling from the injuries he had received in the battle.

'' We could destroy it just like that. I know people who would be willing to help us.'' He stated.

'' What would it be worth?'' He asked. '' It won' bring back my wife.'' He stated.

'' But if will give you revenge.'' He stated. '' Isn't that what you want?

'' More than anything.''

'' I'll get in contact with my men.'' He stated. '' Let me see what I can set up.''

All he could do was grin as he continued down the street to head for his job.

Maybe revenge would make everything better.

 

\---

 

'' You sure that's the last of it?'' Tony asked as Steve loaded the last box into the car. Steve set the box down in the trunk, shutting the door with a thunk. It had been about three days since he had first been invited to the tower. He had been having some trouble getting ahold of a truck to move what little he had. When Tony found out he said that he would just go ahead and help him out. This had shocked Steve, but he did not mention it. He really did need the help.

'' Yeah.'' Steve said. '' That's everything. Thanks for your help.'' He stated.

'' Hey all I did was drive the car.'' Tony stated, hands up in surrender as he moved towards the drivers side. '' We better get back. Pepper will kill me if I don't get the SI projects she sent me done.''

'' You were working on those all night Tony. When was the last time you even slept?'' Steve asked as he got into the car.

'' Sleep is for the weak Capsicle. I can sleep when I'm dead.'' Tony stated.

'' You can't work if your dead though.'' Steve pointed out.

'' Yeah, but it would be one hell of a nap.'' Tony said.

'' Good grief.'' Steve sighed as Tony pulled out into the mid afternoon traffic. The drive to the tower was quiet until they got about halfway there.

'' Do you think that Banners getting used to the new arrangements?'' Tony asked.

Steve looked over to him in confusion.

'' Why are you asking me?'' Steve asked. Tony shrugged out of the corner of his eyes.

'' Just curious. I haven't seen him since he got settled in. Nat mentioned something to me the other day about shield not approving of him staying at the tower.'' Tony stated.

'' I can understand their reasoning.'' Steve said. '' But it's clear he has a good control on the other guy, otherwise we would have been killed during the battle.'' He stated.

 An unsteady silence fell over the car. When it became to much for Steve to bear anymore he spoke up.

'' You think he's afraid of hulking out in his sleep from-''

'' Nightmares.'' Tony interrupted. Steve looked over to the billionaire beside him. He noted the way that he was tapping his thumb against the steering wheel as if he were nervous.

'' You've been having nightmares?'' Steve asked.

Tony did not answer him. He noticed that Tony's eyes seemed to go distant for a moment.

'' How bad are they?'' Steve asked.

'' Bad enough.'' Tony stated.

'' And for how long have you been having them?'' Steve asked. The car began to move once again.

'' Long enough.'' Was all that Tony said. '' I'll deal with them like I always do.'' He added.

'' Tony, you shouldn't have to do that.'' Steve said. '' We can help you.''

'' While I'd love to have a koombaya session, I don't think it would do much good.'' Tony stated.

'' It does wonders.'' Steve stated. '' And trust me when I say you're not alone.'' He said.

'' Don't go getting soft on me Cap.'' Tony said.

'' It's true. I have nightmares to, about my time in the ice, and from the attack.'' He explained. '' It's nothing to be ashamed of.'' Steve said.

'' I never said I was ashamed.'' Tony said.

'' But you're acting like it.'' Steve stated. '' You can reach out for help. It's probably the best thing for you right-''

Steve saw something out of the corner of his eyes, and then he was being thrown sideways in his seat. The door on his side of the car was crushed inwards, his arm pinned against his side as the car spun out of control. Steve's vision goes black for a few seconds, long enough for the car to come to a skidding halt. He groans, his head spinning as he tried to open his eyes.

'' Stark?'' Steve called out, reaching out with his unpinned arm. His hand landed on Tony's shoulder. He gave it a shake, which got a groan of pain out of the man. '' You ok?'' Steve asked. He looked over, finding Tony hunched over the steering wheel. He slowly sat back, revealing a deep cut right above his left eye. Blood oozed from the wound.

'' What hit us?'' Tony asked.

'' I don't know.'' Steve said. He tried to look over and see if what had hit them was still there.

It was there alright, and it was moving to ram into them a second time.

'' Oh god!'' Steve tried to free his pinned arm as fast as he could. He managed it just in time to block his face as the truck hit them a second time.

This time, however, the car flipped over onto its roof.

Steve blacked out once again. When he woke up again it was to a shove from his left. He looked over, vision hazy, to find Tony looking at him. He was talking, but Steve could not hear a word of what he was saying. He felt something tug around his waist.

'' Steve.... Dammit..... I can't carry you out of this thing.''

'' Wha-?'' Steve looked to find that Tony was trying to get the seatbelt off. His hands fumbled with the seatbelt, and finally it gave way. He slumped against the roof of the car, taking a moment to get his senses back.

'' We have to move!'' Tony snapped. '' He's coming back!''

This had Steve snapping up, looking out the missing windshield to find the truck that had hit them rushing back at them. He scrambled to crawl through the nearest opening. Glass cut as his bare hands, cutting through the jeans he was wearing. It took him longer to get free of the car then it did for Tony. When he was free he felt a hand on his arm, and then he was being dragged away from the car. Steve saw the truck angle as if to hit them once again.

Like hell was he going to let them both die today.

'' Get into the store!'' Steve shouted, pulling Tony in the other direction from where he was going. Tony did not fight him on it, and just allowed Steve to pull him along. The truck was gaining on them, getting closer with every passing second.

Just as Steve reached the doorway, throwing both himself and Tony inside, the truck veared away to avoid hitting the shop. Steve turned, watching as the truck turned, and finally drove away.

The adrenaline was quick to wear out as he fell to the floor beside Tony. The billionaire was breathing harsher then normal, one of his hands cradled close to his chest.

'' You ok?'' Steve asked, his vision fading in and out. He was fighting to stay conscious right now.

How hard had he hit his head?

'' I think I broke my wrist.'' Tony stated.

'' We.... We need to.... We need to call for help.'' Steve said, fumbling for his cellphone. However, he realized that it was not there. Where was it?

He heard someone mumbling beside him. He looked over to find that it was Tony, and he was holding his cellphone. How had he gotten his cellphone?

'' Don't pass out on me Capsicle.'' Tony said.

It was the last thing he heard before his vision went completely black.


	2. Chapter 2

When Natasha stormed into the Emergency Room Tony was surprised to see worry on her face. She had been one of the first people he had called when he and Steve were brought here after the crash.

'' Oh god.'' Natasha whispered before rushing towards him. The first thing she noticed was the gauze wrapped around his head. He was covered in cuts and scrapes, his hands wrapped in gauze. His right hand was wrapped in a cast, telling her that he had broken his wrist somehow. She could barely believe what she was looking at.

Not a second after this the rest of the team came rushing into the waiting room. Natasha of course was the first to reach him, kneeling in front of him.

'' What the hell happened to you?'' Natasha demanded. '' Are you ok?''

'' Long story to your first question.'' Tony said. '' To the second.... Not really.'' He answered. When the others reached him he heard Clint whistle low.

'' You look like you've been through hell.'' Clint said.

'' What has become of you friend Stark?'' Thor asked.

'' Someone plowed their truck into my car.'' Tony said. '' He hit us from the side. Steve took the worst of the hit.'' He explained.

'' Is Steve alright?'' Natasha asked.

'' Has a concussion. The doctors took him back for a CT scan just a few minutes ago.'' Tony explained. '' His arm was crushed in the crash. Doctor's aren't sure if its broken though.'' He added.

'' What about you?'' Bruce asked. '' Are you ok?''

'' Dazed mostly.'' Tony said. '' Broke my wrist.'' He said, lifting his arm for the others to see the bright white cast. He lowered it, sighing heavily. '' It all just happened so fast. I didn't even know what was happening until he hit us the second time.'' He mumbled.

'' He what!?'' Natasha and Clint snapped at the same time.

'' He hit us twice. Steve saw him coming the second time.... I... I think he held me down in my seat when he his us the second time.'' Tony said, horror in his tone at the realization. Natasha recognized the haunted look that passed his face. She waved for the others to take a step back, which Clint made sure they did. The last thing they needed was to frighten him after what had just happened. She knelt on the floor before him, taking one of Tony's hands into her own. He was trembling slightly.

'' Tony, can you tell me exactly what happened?'' Natasha asked.

'' Yeah.... Yeah... I uh.... I remember we were talking about something stupid. One minute Steve was talking to me, and the next I was hunched over the steering wheel. I think he held me back against my seat when we were hit the second time. The car it... It-'' Tony tapered off, but Natasha was not sure if it was because he could not remember, or he did not want to. Eventually he continued. '' The car flipped on us. Steve was unconscious for a few minutes. I tried my best to free him, but I couldn't quite do it with the broken wrist. When Steve woke up again he managed to get his seatbelt, but I had to help get him out of the car. We ran for our lives.... The guy was trying to hit us again. We ran into a nearby shot, and finally the guy drove away. That's when I called for help.'' Tony explained. Natasha gave him a sympathetic look, squeezing his hand.

'' Did you see the guys face?'' Natasha asked.

'' No.'' Tony said. '' I didn't see much more then the truck itself. I think the windows were tinted.''

'' OK then. Do you remember the model?'' Natasha asked.

'' A Ram 2011.'' Tony said. '' White.''

Natasha heard Clint typing away at his cellphone, getting the information down.

'' Did you see the plates?'' Natasha asked.

'' No. I only ever saw it from the front.'' Tony explained.

'' OK.'' Natasha said. '' We have a place to start.''

'' What are you planning Nat?'' Tony asked. She squeezed his hand again.

'' Nothing that you need to worry about Stark.'' She stated. She moved to stand up, and just as she did a doctor came in to see them.

'' You here for Rogers?'' The doctor asked.

All of the Avengers looked up to the doctor.

'' How bad is it?'' Tony asked, pushing up from where he had been sitting. He winced at the movement, still battered and sore from the crash.

'' Well, the scan came back clear. There doesn't appear to be any serious damage to the brain, but he does have a concussion. His arm was sliced up pretty bad in the crash, but it doesn't seem to be broken, so a nurse is treating that as we speak.'' The doctor explained.

'' So he's going to be ok?'' Clint asked.

'' He should be, but he needs someone to watch over him while he recovers from this injury. He can't be left alone.'' The doctor said.

'' That shouldn't be a problem.'' Natasha mumbled, Clint grinning beside her.

'' May we see Friend Rogers?'' Thor insisted.

'' Of course.'' The doctor said. '' If you could follow me.''

The doctor lead them back to a single room towards the end of the emergency room. He stood before the door, gesturing for them to go inside.

None of them hesitated to go inside.

By then the nurse had finished patching him up. He was laying on the hospital bed, the sleeve of his shirt cut away to reveal the gauze that covered his arm. It stretched from his wrist all the way to his shoulder. Steve's eyes appeared distant, as if he could not see them. It had to be the concussion talking. They all moved towards the bed, watching as Steve's eyes finally found them. 

'' Either my heads more screwed up then I thought, or the doctors let all five of you back here.'' Steve said. 

'' The second would be correct.'' Natasha answered with a laugh. 

'' How do you feel?'' Clint asked, sitting on the edge of the bed. Steve shrugged. 

'' Sore.'' He stated. '' And I've got a killer headache.'' 

'' You have a concussion, what did you expect?'' Bruce asked with a huff.

'' The healers said it will take time until you are well again.'' Thor said. 

'' Nothing I didn't already know big guy.'' Steve said. The smile on his face fell when he caught sight of Tony standing close to the asgardian. He felt horrible about what had happened. He knew Tony had seen him at his weakest, when he was most vulnerable. 

However, he was also worried about the man. 

'' Are you OK Tony?'' Steve asked. 

'' As OK as can be expected after a car crash.'' Tony answered. He looked away from the bed, a look of guilt passing his face. '' What do you remember from the crash?'' Tony asked. 

'' Not much.'' Steve admitted. '' I remember that we were hit from the side. Everything after that is blurry.'' He explained. '' Did the police catch the guy who did this?'' He asked. 

'' No.'' Clint said. '' But I have no doubt that a camera caught the plates somewhere.'' He added. 

'' Who ever did this hit you both multiple times.'' Natasha said. 

'' Twice.'' Tony corrected. '' If we hadn't gotten out of the car when we did then I'm sure the third hit would have killed us.'' He said. 

'' I'm surprised the first two didn't kill us.'' Steve commented. 

'' What ever the case, who ever did this was out to hurt you guys.'' Natasha said. 

'' You weren't being a dick on the roads were you Stark?'' Clint asked. 

'' The worst I did was go five over. I know better then to do that in rush hour.'' Tony stated, hands up in an innocent gesture.

'' He's telling the truth.'' Steve said. '' Honestly I never would have gotten in the car if he tried something stupid like that.'' 

'' So road rage couldn't have been the cause.'' Natasha mumbled. '' So why try to hit you in the first place.'' 

'' It was clearly planned.'' Tony said. '' If it had truly been an accident then the first hit would have been the only one.'' 

'' Are you saying someone knew that we were taking that route?'' Steve asked. 

'' It wouldn't surprise me. I've seen how the press can figure out where people are with just a few clicks on their phones.'' Tony said, talking from personal experience. 

'' But that doesn't explain why they tried to hit the two of you.'' Natasha pointed out. 

'' After all that has occurred here, you would think that the people would be much kinder to you.'' Thor stated. 

'' Things don't work that way here.'' Clint commented from his left. '' You haven't spent enough time on earth to know that, clearly.'' 

'' Someone was out to get you.'' Bruce suggested. '' But why, I don't know.'' 

'' Not everyone was pleased with what happened during the battle.'' Tony pointed out. '' Despite our best efforts people were killed in the mess.''

'' Exactly, so maybe someone blames us for what happened.'' Bruce suggested. '' But remember, it's only a theory.'' 

'' A theory that stands after everything that's happened in the last month.'' Steve commented. 

An uneasy silence settled over the room at this. Each of the Avengers looked towards one another, worry deep in their eyes. 

'' My brother has wrought death and destruction on the people of your world, and now we pay the price for what he has done.'' Thor has stated. 

'' We tried to stop him. That was all we did.'' Natasha said. 

'' Some harder then others.'' Tony commented, a haunted tone to his voice at the memory of taking the missile into the portal. 

'' We need to contact Fury.'' Clint said. '' Maybe SHIELD can help settle this mess.'' He stated. 

'' First thing when we get back to the tower.'' Natasha stated. '' Until we know what's going on here we can't go splitting up. We're staying right here until Steve is released.'' She stated. 

'' I won't argue with that.'' Bruce stated. '' We don't want a repeat of what just happened.'' 

'' If one of us was hit, then I have no doubt that who ever did this will be after the rest of us eventually.'' Clint said. '' We're all walking a thin line here.'' 

'' I do not understand.'' Thor said. 

'' Metaphor big guy.'' Clint stated. '' It means we have to be careful.'' Thor nodded. 

'' When I return home my brother will pay dearly for causing these events to transpire.'' Thor seethed. 

None of them bothered to state it was not his fault that the crash happened. As it was, they all wanted to see Loki suffer after what he did to New York City.

Everyone in the room found a place to settle in until the rest of Steve's test results came in. 

 

\---

 

The sun had set long before any of them made it out of the hospital. 

Steve was half asleep, walking like a zombie as they made their way to the communal floor of the tower. Thor stood beside the super soldier, ready to catch him if needed. Clint was on the other side, just in case he decided that the god was no good to catch him. Bruce and Tony were talking quietly about ways to upgrade the security systems until this all blew over. Natasha had not said a word since they left the hospital, to caught up in her own thoughts about what had happened. 

Why would someone be out to kill them now?

They were hero's at this point. They had been heralded as such after stopping the chitauri. People had even told them that thousands, if not more, would have died had they not done what they did. 

So many lives were saved, so why was someone trying to kill them.

The elevator doors opened to the communal floor, where the sound of someone talking on the phone could be heard. Tony immediately stepped out of the elevator before everyone else, recognizing that voice. He practically ran to the room the voice was coming from.

He saw Pepper standing there, her cellphone in hand as she paced the floor. She turned at the sound of his entrance, and relief seemed to flood her face. She hung up on her call, nearly dropping her cellphone as she rushed forward to hug him.

'' Thank god you're ok.'' Pepper whispered into his shoulder. '' I saw the crash on the news. I couldn't get ahold of your cell.'' She said.

'' It's alright.'' Tony said. '' I'm alright. We're alright.'' He hugged Pepper back, remembering that if things had gone differently then he might not be here. The others slowly made their way inside the room. None of them interrupted the moment the two love birds were having, giving them a chance that could have never happened had things ended differently.

The two finally separated, Pepper scrubbing at her face to rid of the tears that threatened to fall.

'' Police all over the city are searching for the truck that hit you two.'' Pepper stated after clearing her throat. '' So far they haven't found him.'' She said in a sad tone.

'' Did they get a hit on the plates?'' Natasha asked, reaching out to lead Steve towards the couch. He looked about ready to fall asleep standing up. She would rather he at least be sitting on the couch.

'' I'm not sure. The news hasn't released it if they did.'' Pepper stated.

'' Then it looks like we have work to do.'' Clint said.

'' Fear not, I shall ensure that nothing happens to Friend Stark or Friend Rogers.'' Thor stated.

While this did ease their stress a little, it did remind them that there was still a danger out there. Pepper did not seem to like this, horror crossing her face.

'' What is he talking about?'' She asked, looking over to Tony.

'' We don't know if we're dealing with a hit an run, or someone who's out to get us.'' Tony stated.

'' Their car was hit twice in the crash. I think it was someone out to get them.'' Bruce stated. Pepper looked horrified.

'' Pep, it's going to be ok.'' Tony stated. '' We're completely safe here. Nothing's going to happen.''

Sadly, he did not believe his own words.


	3. Chapter 3

The team gathered in the communal floor shortly after returning from the hospital. In the middle of the room sat what looked like a hologram table. The others bet that Tony had it moved up here for them to make their desperately needed call to Fury.

'' All yours Nat.'' Tony stated, stepping away from the table to allow her access. She walked up to the thing, punching in the code that she had memorized the day that she joined SHIELD. Once finished she stepped back, and waited for the call to go through.

It did not take long for a figure to appear over the table.

It was Nick Fury.

  _'' Please tell me that you haven't tried to kill each other.''_

'' That's not why we're calling Director.'' Natasha said. '' I don't know if you've seen the news, but something's happened.'' She stated.

_'' Yes I saw. Rogers and Stark doing alright?''_

'' Better then can be expected.'' Natasha answered, eyes glancing over to where Steve was asleep on the couch, Tony sitting close by watching them. '' There was something up about the crash Sir. Stark told me they were hit twice, and it would have been three times had they not managed to get out of the car.'' Natasha explained.

'' We think someone was trying to kill them.'' Clint said, stepping up beside Natasha. '' But so far we don't have much. We thought you guys might have found something.''

Silence met them for a moment as Fury looked away. He appeared to be talking so someone off to his right. When he turned to face them again he had good news.

_'' Our camera's did manage to catch the plates of the truck. Our systems have been tracking it, and located the car to be just a few miles outside of the city. It was reported stolen just the other day by the owner.''_

'' So we're back at square one.'' Clint mumbled.

'' What can your machines tell us?'' Thor asked.

_'' They say the truck is within a few miles of the city, and has yet to be found by police or the owner. Meaning that if you plan to track down who did this then its your best bet.''_

'' Can you give us a location?'' Natasha asked.

_'' You already have it.''_

Natasha heard a ding. When she looked beside her she saw that the coordinates had been sent to them by Hill. A quick glance at them told Natasha that the truck was located about five miles outside the city.

_'' I understand the need to go after them, but remember, this could be just a big mistake.''_

'' They tried to kill Stark and Rogers. This was not an accident. This was an attack, but we don't know if it was an attack on all of us or not.'' Clint said.

'' We're bringing this guy in. SHIELD can decide what to do with him after that.'' Natasha said.

_'' Very well then. I won't stop you.''_

The hologram vanished a moment later, silence filling the room.

'' We have a location.'' Clint said. '' So what are we waiting for. We should check this out.'' He stated.

 '' Clint and I should go. We'd be in and out in no time.'' Natasha stated. 

'' What happened to sticking together?'' Tony asked. '' You yourself said that we needed to stick together until this is sorted out.'' 

'' I know, but think about it this way. Both you and Steve are not in any shape for a fight it that's what it comes to.'' Natasha said. 

'' Not only that, but the house could be a booby trap waiting to go off once we get there.'' Clint said. 

'' I hate to say it, but they're right Tony.'' Bruce said. '' It would be better if just the two of them went.'' 

'' I don't like it.'' Tony stated. 

'' No one ever said you had to.'' Clint commented. 

'' Would it make you feel better if we brought Thor along?'' Natasha asked, crossing her arms over her chest. 

'' If so, I shall do my best to ensure their safety.'' Thor stated. Tony's answer was a sigh as he leaned back against the couch. 

'' Bruce. Keep an eye on them. Don't let them out of your sight.'' Natasha said. 

'' Can do.'' Bruce answered. 

'' Don't go getting yourselves killed.'' Tony stated. '' Who else will I get to make fun of i bird brains doesn't come back.'' He added. Clint glared at the billionaire, already annoyed by the nickname. He looked ready to tackle Tony had Natasha not grabbed his arm to start dragging him towards the elevator. 

'' You can kill Tony later Clint. We have work to do.'' She stated. 

Tony could not help but laugh as he watched Clint flounder to try and break free of Natasha's hold. He eventually gave up once she had him in he elevator, Thor close behind. When the elevator finally left Bruce took a seat on the couch beside Tony. 

It was not long after this that Tony moved to stand. 

'' Don't even think about it.'' Bruce stated.

'' You're no fun you know that.'' Tony pointed out, settling into his seat once more.

'' You just got out of the hospital after a major car crash. You need to take it easy.'' Bruce stated.

'' Taking it easy was never something I was good at.'' Tony said.

'' Which is why I'm here.'' Bruce said, shooting him a look.

Looks like he was not getting any work done in the lab for awhile.

 

\---

 

Natasha knelt in the shadows of the brush that sat a few yards away from the house. She could see the lights were on inside, and someone was walking around in there. The blinds were drawn, so she could not see his face. All she saw was a shadow.

Clint knelt beside her, Watching with a sharp eye.

'' What do you think?'' Clint asked.

'' We don't know who else is in there.'' Natasha stated. '' And we can't just go barging in there.''

'' So what's the plan?'' Clint asked.

'' We wait and see when he comes out.'' Natasha said. '' Eventually he will have to leave that house with or without his family. That's when we go.'' She said.

'' We don't know what's waiting for us in there.'' Clint said.

'' Which is why we've got Thor.'' Natasha stated, gesturing behind her. Thor was sitting just behind them on the ground, completely out of sight. He looked bored as hell, but he was still there none the less.

'' How long do you think we will be waiting?'' Clint asked. '' Because I don't think Thor's gonna be able to sit still for long.'' He stated.

'' As long as it takes.'' Natasha said. '' This needs to be done if what we think is true.'' She stated. Clint nodded as he settled in for what he felt would be a long wait.

 

\---

 

Sure enough, they waited all night, never taking their eyes off the house.

It was early in the morning when they finally saw the door begin to move.

Natasha and Clint had their eyes locked on the doorway, watching as a single man stepped out. He was dressed in construction gear, a bag slung over his shoulder as he turned to lock the door. They watched as he began to head towards his garage. The doors opened when he typed the code in, and as the door open they saw the white truck that had hit Tony and Steve the day prior. It was not the vehicle that he was approaching however. The one he chose was a small blue Chevy parked adjacent to the trashed truck. The man climbed in, and drove out of the garage. As he made the turn to go down the road the door to his garage began to descend, closing off the entrance as he sped off to work.

'' Clint, have Fury send cops after him. I got his plates.'' Natasha stated.

'' Way ahead of you.'' Clint said, the message sent before Natasha was finished talking. '' What now?'' Clint asked.

'' We're going in there to have a look around.'' Natasha stated. '' If this guy is what I think he is, then we just might find something in there.'' She said. Clint nodded out of the corner of her eyes, stringing his bow over his shoulders so it was out of the way. She heard Thor lift Mjolnir from its resting place as he moved to stand.

'' Let us see what this man hides.'' Thor stated.

Entering the house was not a problem at all. There was no security anywhere around it, and it was very easy for Natasha to hack the garage door lock. With the press of a few buttons the doors opened up for them. She was sure to close them once through however, because being seen was the last thing they needed.

They would be in and out, and even if they did not find anything this guy was still going down for a hit and run.

But they had to be sure. After what Bruce had suggested, Natasha knew that they had to be sure.

She was the first to step foot into the kitchen, taking a look around the darkened room. Nothing appeared to be out of place, save for a few dirty dishes in the sink. It was spotless.

Too spotless.

Natasha took a few steps forward, gazing into the adjacent room. It appeared to be a living room, and much like the kitchen this room was spotless.

Something seemed off here.

'' I'll keep looking down here.'' Natasha said. '' Clint, Thor, take the upstairs. If you find anything then yell for us.'' She explained.

With that the three split off to search on their own.

 

\---

 

Thor found himself stepping into what appeared to be the master bedroom of the house. There was a large bed against the wall, one side of the sheets rustled as if they had just been used. He did not dwell on this for long. Lady Romanov had told them to search, so that's what he would do.

He searched the room from top to bottom, lifting the bed and dressers out of the way to check under them. He was unable to find anything. There did not appear to be anything in this room.

At least he thought so, before he leaned against the wall for a moment.

Something shifted against his back, threatening to give way under his weight. Thor wasted no time in wrenching what appeared to be a panel free of the wall.

What he found on the other side brought concern.

There was a large silver and bronze device sitting there. A countdown was placed on top of it, with less then two minutes left.

What on midgard was this?

'' Hey, I didn't find anything. What about you big gu-''

Clint froze where he stood in the doorway, eyes locked on the device in the wall.

'' What is this contraption?'' Thor asked.

The horror he saw flash in Clint's eyes told more then mere words ever could.

'' We have to get out of here.'' Clint stated. The archer rushed forward, grabbing a hold of Thor's arm to try and drag him out of the room. However, Clint did not have the strength to pull the Asgardian out. 

'' What is this strange device Friend Barton?'' Thor asked. 

'' That's a bomb Thor. We need to leave now!'' Clint snapped, tugging on his arm a second time. Thor did not fight the archer, allowing himself to be dragged out of the room. '' If we don't go now we're going to die!'' Clint snapped. 

There was only a minute left on the countdown. 

 

\---

 

Natasha stepped into the last room she had yet to search on the bottom floor. 

She had not been prepared for what she found on the other side of that door. 

There were photos lining the wall directly in front of her. Each one of the photo's had a picture of one of the Avengers in it. Natasha did not find many of Clint or herself, given that most of the time they were undercover with shield. However, the number of photo's there for the rest of her team, was alarming. 

Where did he get these?

In the middle of the photo's was a white board attacked to the wall. There were a few markings on it that had not been erased, but that was not what caught her eye. 

What did was the photo of the tower in the corner of it, and there was a red X through it. Beside this photo was what appeared to be a drawing of sorts, and it was heading straight for the X over the tower. 

Was it a missile?

Natasha felt horror flood her veins as she moved to run out of the room. She began to reach for her cellphone, knowing that if what she just saw was right then the others were in danger. She had to warn them to get the hell out of there before something happened. She pulled up Bruce's number, but before she could press the call button she heard a shout from her right. 

She looked over in time to find Clint racing at her. 

'' We've gotta get out of here.'' Clint stated. 

'' What's going on?'' Natasha demanded. 

'' There's a bomb! Go!'' Clint snapped. 

Natasha did not have to be told twice. She ran as fast as her legs would carry her to the door, kicking it open without a second thought. She raced out into the morning air, Clint and Thor hot on her heals. She got maybe five feet from the house before the the bomb went off. Natasha was thrown off her feet, flying through the air until she landed hard on the pavement in front of the house. She rolled for a distance, until her back came to rest against a car parked on the curb. She heard someone else land close by. Looking up revealed it to be Clint, and he was not moving. There was blood on his forehead, a deep gash that was oozing faster then normal. Thor was already up and running towards him, seemingly unfazed by the explosion. It took Natasha a little longer then she expected to get up, her head spinning. She would need to get checked for a concussion after this. 

However, right now she needed to make sure that Clint was alright. 

She stumbled to his side, falling to her knees before reaching out to turn him onto his back. She pulled his head into her lap, eyeing the deep gash to his head. It was nasty, but he would live. 

He was still breathing, that was good. 

'' That man knew our plan.'' Thor seethed. '' I shall find him and destroy him.'' 

'' No, Thor.'' Natasha said. '' You need to get to the tower now.'' Natasha stated. 

'' Why is that?'' Thor asked. 

'' I think they're going to attack it. I found something in there before you two came running. You have to go get the others to safety.'' Natasha stated. She saw shock pass Thor's face before he reached for his hammer on the ground. 

'' This man has harmed them once. I refuse to let it happen again.'' 

Thor swung his hammer, and then he was gone. 

Natasha just hoped that he got to them in time. 


	4. Chapter 4

Bruce had the news on in the communal floor, replaying the events from the crash yesterday.

Steve was in the kitchen cooking something for them to eat.

Tony was sitting at the island that stuck out from the counter, typing away at a tablet that he had swiped from Bruce when he was not watching. While he may not be allowed in the lab for the time being, he can at least get some work done this way.

'' Think you've made enough eggs there Cap?'' Tony asked with a chuckle, noting the bowl of eggs that was still growing.

'' It takes a lot to fill me up.'' Steve stated. '' That's why I normally cook for myself.''

'' You should let Bruce cook your breakfast at least once. He makes a mean omelet.'' Tony stated.

'' Maybe some other time.'' Steve said, turning his attention back to the pan of eggs. He was about ready to pull the eggs out, but before he could they heard a bang from the terrace. '' What was that?'' Steve asked.

'' I don't know.'' Tony answered, pushing to a stand. '' Let me go check it out.'' He said, walking out of the room. Steve turned the stove off, eggs forgotten as he left the room to find out what had made the noise.

The two could hear Bruce talking with someone, alarm in the mans voice. When they stepped into the communal floor they found Bruce standing in front of the couch, and Thor was standing before him. The god looked worried when his gaze shifted to the two of them.

'' I thought you were with Nat and Clint.'' Steve said.

'' I was friend Rogers, but something has happened to them.'' Thor stated.

'' What happened?'' Tony asked.

'' The house was a trap to lure us in. Friend Barton said what I found was a bomb, and when it exploded it injured him. Friend Romanov found something that disturbed her, and she told me to return here to warn you of what is coming.'' Thor stated.

'' What's coming?'' Steve asked, worry in his tone.

'' She did not say.'' Thor said. '' But she sent me to get you to safety.''

'' Uh, guys?'' Tony spoke up. '' I don't think we have much time for that.'' 

Steve saw something moving outside the window. When he looked up he saw a helicopter hovering just outside, close enough that he could see the pilot. There were missiles armed and ready to fire attached to the side of it. The man behind the stick grinned as his hand shifted.

'' Everyone get back!'' Thor shouted, jumping in front of Bruce. Steve turned to run, grabbing Tony by the shoulders along the way. He may be able to take the blast, but the blast could kill Tony.

They heard something fire from the helicopter, and then the two were thrown from their feet.

Steve managed to turn, using his body as a cushion when the two of them hit the wall. The air was knocked from his lungs. He was unable to see, smoke and dust clouding his vision. He could feel heat quickly filling the hall, a fire spreading across everything it could reach.

'' Steve!''

Tony was pulling on his arm, trying to get him to his feet. Steve blinked a few times, clearing his vision enough to get his bearings. There were more voices screaming around him, before another hand grabbed his arm. He was hoisted over someone's shoulders, Thor's, and he felt the god start jogging.

'' HULK PROOF ROOM!'' Bruce shouted. '' THEY CAN'T GET US THERE!''

'' WHERE IS IT!'' Thor shouted.

'' TWO FLOORS DOWN!'' Tony shouted, stumbling when Bruce lost his footing.

There was another loud explosion, the entire floor shaking. Thor stumbled into the wall, holding a hand against it  for support. The god glanced behind himself to find Bruce stumbling along, a deep wound in his leg bleeding heavily. What worried him the most was the greenish tint to his eyes. He was right on the edge of a Hulk out. Tony was supporting the man as best he could.

They managed to make it to the staircase, and descended two floors to get to the Hulk proof room. They ran into the large room, before Bruce turned to lock the doors behind them.

Silence fell over them.

 

\---

 

Natasha could not believe what she was watching on her phone.

The tower had been struck three times by missiles, all the upper floors on fire. The reporters on scene said their was no word yet on the people who had been inside at the time.

Had Thor gotten there in time?

Clint was sitting in the back of an ambulance waiting to take him away to get checked out. Natasha sat beside him watching the news feed in horror. Neither one of them could believe what they were seeing.

'' Have you called them?'' Clint asked. 

'' I tried Tony's cell. He won't pick up.'' Natasha said. '' Dear god tell me they aren't dead.'' She whispered.

'' You should go over there.'' Clint said. '' I'll be fine on my own for awhile.''

'' I don't know.'' Natasha whispered. '' We don't know who we can trust now.'' She stated.

'' We can trust each other.'' Clint whispered.

Silence fell for awhile, the two of them watching as the paramedics shut the doors to the ambulance to take them away. As they did this Natasha put her phone down, unable to watch the footage any longer.

The ambulance ran down the road at a steady pace, and about halfway there Natasha felt her phone buzz in her pocket. She looked down to it, and was shocked to see the caller ID.

It was Bruce's phone.

She did not hesitate to answer it.

'' Please tell me you're alright?'' Natasha begged.

_'' I'm alright. We're alright.''_

Natasha breathed a sigh of relief, the tension in her shoulders falling away.

'' Did you get out in time?'' Natasha asked.

_'' No. We were on the communal floor when the missiles hit. Sliced up my leg pretty bad, but Thor took the worst of the blast. Steve took a hard hit, but he will be alright.''_

'' And Tony?'' Natasha asked.

_'' Not a scratch. Steve took most of the hit for him.''_

'' Where are you?'' Natasha asked.

_'' At the base of the tower, waiting to be taken to the hospital. They're evacuating everyone else inside.''_

'' Did anyone else get hurt?'' Natasha asked.

_'' No. They were to far down in the tower to have gotten hit.''_

'' So who ever did this was clearly not interested in anyone else but you guys..... What the hell is going on around here?'' Natasha mumbled.

_'' Look's like we'll be making a trip to SHIELD.''_

'' Looks like it.'' Natasha said. '' Clint and I are on our way to the hospital, probably the same place you're going. Keep us posted until we meet back up.'' Natasha said.

_'' I will, and please be careful out there.''_

'' Same to you... Don't trust anyone.'' Natasha said, and then the line went dead. Clint was watching her silently. '' They're ok.'' Natasha said. '' Bruce hurt his leg, Thor's down, and Steve took a hard hit, but they're ok.'' She explained. Clint seemed to relax against the stretcher he was laying on, his eyes falling shut.

'' Thank god. I was worried.'' He whispered. He looked about ready to tap out. Natasha rested a hand on his shoulder.

'' They'll be alright.'' Natasha said.

'' I know.'' Clint whispered. He laid his head back, and allowed sleep to take over for a time.

It had been awhile since he's had a good nap.

 

\---

 

'' There's reports flying all over the place about what happened. Some are saying it was a mishap with one of Stark's suits, and others are saying it was terrorism.'' Natasha said from where she sat at the foot of Clint's hospital bed. Clint was sitting up on the bed, arms crossed over his chest as he was fed pain medication for the killer headache he had received from the head injury. He had a nasty concussion, about the same as what Steve had received.

'' I should have been quicker. I could have prevented the worst of the blast.'' Thor whispered from where he sat in a nearby chair.

'' There was nothing you could have done to stop them Thor.'' Tony said. '' Even if you had tried, they would have found a way to get to us.''

'' You did what you could. You're probably the reason I'm still alive.'' Bruce pointed out. Thor nodded, his right hand running over the bandages running up and down his left arm.

'' What do we do now?'' Clint asked. '' We can't go back to the tower. That would be a suicide mission.'' He stated.

'' SHIELD.'' Natasha said. '' It's our best bet if we want to get off the grid.'' She stated.

'' Group trip to D.C. then.'' Tony said. '' But how are all of us going to get there without being seen. At least four out of six of us stand out in public.''

'' Leave that to me.'' Natasha said. '' SHIELD's should be able to send us something to get us to  D.C.'' She stated.

'' We will need to move fast.'' Steve said. '' We need to get out of here, before someone else starts gunning for us.... The last thing we need is someone else getting killed.'' He whispered.

'' Why would someone wish death upon us?'' Thor asked. '' I just do not understand it.'' He stated.

'' We trashed New York trying to save it.'' Tony said. '' There are a lot of people out there who would be pissed off with us.'' He stated.

'' We saved peoples lives, and yet we are the ones who are being blamed for the mess.'' Clint mumbled.

An uneasy silence fell over the room, broken only by the shuffling of nurses and staff outside the room. The silence began to wear on everyone's nerves, causing them to feel on edge. Bruce was attempting to meditate where he sat, trying to hold the Hulk back. Thor was sitting bent over himself, eyes closed in deep thought. Natasha and Clint both were watching more news footage on their phones, looking for any signs of a name of the attackers. Tony was staring off into space, his hands trembling slightly, showing just how anxious he was at the moment. Steve was leaning against the wall, still trying to wrap his head around why this was happening to them.

Who would want to kill the Avengers?

He just did not understand.

Finally, after another hour of them sitting around, Clint was released from the hospital. They were quick to leave, needing to find a quiet place to stay for awhile.

Luckily for them, no one had bought out Steve's old place yet.

Not many people lived in the apartment building, most of them wanting to find something a little more up scale then this. It was the perfect place for them to lay low for a little while.

Steve currently stood at the front door, looking outside through the peep hole. He had pushed a dresser in front of the door just to be safe. The others had done the same with the two windows in the other rooms, blocking them so that no light came in. When Steve backed away from the door he placed something in front of the peep hole just to be sure that no one could look inside.

He walked towards the other room where the others were sitting. He could hear Tony on the phone, talking with what appeared to be a rather upset Pepper on the other line. Natasha and Clint were talking quietly between each other about something he could not make out. Thor was standing in the corner, Mjolnir in hand, ready for a fight. Bruce was asleep on the couch against the wall, his leg propped up with ice on it to help with the pain.

'' I promise you Pepper. I'm alright, I didn't get hit.'' Tony said.

_'' Who's doing this in the first place? I'm worried about you.''_

'' I know. I'm worried to.'' Tony said. '' We all were targeted today.''

_'' What are you going to do?''_

'' We're heading to SHIELD as soon as they get here. We can't be seen right now.'' Tony explained.

_'' I'm coming back to New York.''_

'' No, Pep, it's to dangerous for you.'' Tony said. '' Please, just stay where you are. You're safer at the conference then here right now. I'm worried that they would target you to.''

_'' Ok then.... I'll stay put..... Just... Please be careful ok. Don't get yourself killed.''_

'' I'll do what I can.'' Tony said.

_'' I love you.''_

'' Love you to.''

Steve saw Tony hang up, falling back into the nearby armchair. He heaved a sigh, letting his phone fall from his hands to hit the table. Steve took a seat beside him, noting the haunted look to Tony's eyes when he looked up.

'' Is she safe?'' Steve asked.

'' Yeah.'' Tony said. '' She was at a conference upstate when this all happened. I told her to stay there until this blows over.'' He stated. Steve nodded, but he was not finished there.

'' Are you ok?'' Steve asked.

Tony was quiet for a few minutes.

'' I don't think anyone would be after what's happened to us the last two days.'' Tony said. '' You and I both were in a hit and run, we could have been killed, but we weren't. We were in the tower when the missiles hit. We were lucky to escape that with our lives.'' 

'' But we did.'' Steve said.

'' We know they're after us.... But what if they go after loved ones next?'' Tony asked.

'' I don't know.... I really don't have anyone who would remember me left.'' Steve said.

'' I have Pepper, And Rhodey. Thor's got his family back home. Barton's got to have someone out there he cares about, the same goes for Natasha. Bruce, that's just a question I can't answer. What I'm trying to say is that we all have something to lose here.'' Tony looked away. '' If Something happened to Pepper because of these guys I would never be able to live with myself.''

'' Like you said Tony. She's safe right now. She's far away from them.'' Steve said.

'' It still bothers me.'' Tony said. He sighed, looking back towards Steve. '' You really think that SHIELD will be able to help us here?'' Tony asked.

'' Natasha believes so, so I do to.'' Steve said. '' You should try to get some sleep. It's been a long day.'' Steve stated.

'' I'm not the one who hit the wall.'' Tony stated, reminding Steve of what he had done in the tower. Steve sighed, shaking his head. '' You get sleep to. I'm sure that Thor will stop anything from getting in here.'' Tony stated, pointing to the god in the corner.

'' Friend Stark is right. I shall protect all of you from the harm of the outside world.'' Thor said. Clint laughed out loud at this, Natasha smacking him in the shoulder for it. Steve only shook his head as Tony joined in on the laughter.

It was not much longer before they were silent, falling into a restless sleep.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please read the comments at the end. I have a question for all of you lovely readers.

It was early in the morning when Thor heard a knock on the door.

He looked up, alarm in his gaze.

Who was at the door?

He glanced around at the rest of his comrades, who were all still sleeping. He did not wish to wake them, so he instead chose to seek out who was at the door. He strode over to the doorway, Mjolnir gripped tightly in his hands. If this was an attack he was going to be sure that the person on the other side of that door could not hurt his friends.

He moved the thing sitting in front of the glass hole, and peered through it.

His grip on Mjolnir loosened.

 

\---

 

Steve woke with a start to the sound of something scraping against the floor.

He shot up from where he was laying on the floor, head spinning towards the hallway leading to the front door. Movement on his right told him that Natasha and Clint were awake, their eyes trained on the same spot. He glanced to his left to find Tony starting to stir, but Bruce had yet to move. Steve's eyes stayed trained where the door was, waiting to see what coming. He finally saw it a moment later.

His shoulders sagged in relief to see Maria Hill standing beside Thor. She had a duffle bag thrown over her shoulder, one hand gripping the straps while the other rested on the holster to her gun.

'' Geez. Barton was not kidding when he said you all look like hell.'' Maria commented, the duffel bag falling off her shoulder to hit the floor. '' How you guys holding up?'' She asked.

'' Well its not every day that you are shot at with missiles or sent into a house rigged to blow.'' Natasha commented, pushing to a stand. '' We're making due with what we can..... Did anyone follow you?'' Natasha asked.

'' No. It's just me, and a few agents waiting to escort us to the airport. There's a jet waiting there to take us to D.C.'' Maria explained.

'' What's in the bag?'' A sleepy Tony asked, scrubbing at his eyes to try and wake himself up.

'' We need to get you out of New York unseen. These outfits should help until we get you to the airport.'' Maria said, handing a set of clothes to Natasha, and then to Clint.  She threw a set in Tony's direction, a second following for Steve. '' There are agents going to the tower as we speak to retrieve any of your equipment you will need.'' she added.

'' When do we leave?'' Steve asked.

'' As soon as possible. We don't know how far behind us they are.'' Maria said.

'' Then lets do this.''

 

\---

 

Maria lead them out the front doors of the apartment building. SHIELD agents were all over the place, acting like normal civilians, but they were all watching for any sign of the attackers. 

Maria looked around for a second, making sure no one was watching. 

'' OK. Get into the van.'' Maria stated, pointing to the van parked on the curb. Steve was the first to step out, jogging towards the van. The others followed close behind, not wanting to waste a second. Every second they were out hear meant a second that they could be caught. They had to get out of here before that could happen. 

The second they were all in the van the SHIELD agents were rushing at them, piling into the same van, or the one parked right behind it. Two of them were on motorcycles in front of the van, police lights flashing to give the look of an escort. The van was leaving the curb a moment later. 

The ride to the airport was quiet, the only sound being the messages the agents were passing between each other. They were being discrete about it, so the Avengers could not hear a word of what they were saying. 

This did little to ease their anxiety. 

The airport was in sights now, just under a mile away. Maria turned around in her seat to look at them. 

'' When we get to the plane you guys get on. There should be two agents there ready to take off once you board. We will be staying behind to make sure no one follows you.'' Maria explained. 

'' So in other words, don't dilly dally.'' Tony said. 

'' You could put it that way.'' Maria mumbled, turning around in her seat. 

The van had nearly reached the runway. 

And then all hell broke loose. 

The first thing that happened was the car breaking to a halt farther away from the jet then planned. 

'' What's going on?'' Steve asked. 

'' Something's wrong.'' Maria whispered. '' Stay here, don't go anywhere.'' 

They gazed out the windows of the van, searching for what ever it was that had the agents on guard. 

They heard their answer before they saw it. 

'' GET DOWN!'' Maria shouted as bullets began to strike the van's side. 

Steve immediately bent over where he sat, the sound of cracking glass filling his ears. He could hear the agents scrambling to get out of the van to return fire. They were shouting at each other as the glass began to shatter above them. Steve could feel it hitting his back. Someone shouted behind him, but whom he could not tell. He tried to turn to see who it was. 

That's when he heard something metal strike the ground just outside the van. 

The bullets stopped flying. 

Steve was hesitant at first, worried that what ever was out there was ready to kill them. 

In the end he decided to look. 

What he saw brought a grin to his face. 

 There, just outside the van, stood one of the Iron Man suits.

Steve turned to spy Tony sitting in the back. He had his phone in hand, which he had refused to hand over to Hill.

'' As if I'd let SHIELD get their hands on my suits.'' Tony stated when he realized Steve was watching. '' It was going to follow us in the jet. I guess its out savior now.'' He said with a short laugh.

'' Who's piloting it?'' Clint asked.

'' JARVIS is.'' Tony stated. '' He's better at it then you realize..... In a pinch at least.''

'' Can he keep them at bay for us to get away.'' Natasha asked in a serious tone.

'' I wouldn't have had him bring the suit if he couldn't do that.'' Tony stated. '' As long as the suits standing it can fight whether I'm in it or not.''

Steve turned his attention to the window again, watching as the suit took aim on their attackers.

'' We have an opening.'' Steve said.

'' Then take it.'' Maria said. '' Run for the jet, and don't look back.'' She stated. They did not like the idea of this, but the second they had a chance to run they were out of the van. The plane was a good ways away from them, plenty of space for them to be ambushed. They had to make it, they just had to.

Steve found himself in the lead, running as fast as his legs could carry him. He glanced behind himself for a second to find the rest of his team. Thor was carrying Bruce over one shoulder, the doctor unable to run due to the stitches in his leg. Tony was right behind them, every now and then casting a glance back to his suit to make sure it was still standing. Clint and Natasha brought up the rear, each of them holding pistols, ready to fire at a moments notice.

Steve turned back. He was about ten yards away from the plane, the hatch open and ready for them to run in. He could make it.

Something flew past his head, the sound of it making his ear ring painfully. He watched as the bullet struck the hatch, ricocheting upwards into the sky. Steve stepped onto the hatch, and as soon as he was in the airplane he turned to find the rest of his team.

He saw Clint gripping at his arm, his gun passed off to Natasha. He had been struck by one of the bullets. Tony was starting to fall behind, Natasha and Clint quickly catching up to him. Thor and Bruce reached the jet soon after Steve did, The god setting Bruce down on one of the benches lining the wall. Steve saw Natasha reach out to drag Tony along. He saw the billionaire glancing back towards his suit, which was lifting off into the air. A second later it was flying towards them.

Clint reached the jet next, stumbling to his knees when he reached where Steve was standing. Steve reached down, helping to get the man to his feet. By the time he had Clint settled in a seat beside Bruce Natasha and Tony had boarded the jet. The hatch began to shut right away,  the agents in the cockpit yelling for them to hold on.

Within seconds the jet was in the air, taking off at incredible speed into the morning sky. When the jet leveled off Steve let go of the strap hanging from the ceiling, turning to face the others.

He watched as Natasha lifted Tony to his feet, the man still breathing hard with one hand gripping at his chest. She forced him to sit down beside Bruce, telling him to keep his head between his legs. Steve was confused as to what was going on, but Natasha shot him a look as she pointed at her own chest, right where the reactor rested in Tony's.

Steve needed to get some answers later.

Bruce was fretting over Clint's injuries, pressing one hand to it while the other dug around in a first aid kit. Clint's breathing was uneven as he tried to keep his gaze away from the wound. It was making him feel squeamish. Thor was standing close by, worry written across his face.

'' The bullet went clean through.'' Bruce stated. '' Can you move it at all? I'm worried something might be torn.'' He said. Clint winced, trying to hold back a scream of pain as he tried to turn his arm. It was all that Bruce needed to see. '' Ok. You should be ok.''

'' Where the hell did they come from?'' Clint mumbled. '' They just appeared out of nowhere. I don't understand how.''

'' They knew we were coming.'' Natasha whispered. '' Somehow they just knew.''

'' Well, they didn't make it easy, that's for sure.'' Tony mumbled. '' They were out for blood. That's the third time they've tried to kill us.'' He stated.

'' If you hadn't called for one of your suits then we would've been killed.'' Steve said.

'' Where is the suit of Iron?'' Thor asked.

'' Following the jet.'' Tony said. '' It will land when we do.''

An uneasy silence fell over the group after that. They all watched as Bruce was quick to bandage Clint's arm, being as gentle as he possibly could.

'' If they were able to find us there, then how is it they won't be able to find us in D.C.?'' Clint mumbled when Bruce was finished.

They were all rendered speechless by the question.

'' If they knew we were there, then they could find us anywhere.'' Natasha whispered, horror in her tone.

'' Just who are these people anyways?'' Tony mumbled.

 

\---

 

 When they saw the jet take off into the morning sky the order to retreat was given.

They all ran for the rendezvous point just a few miles away from the airport. None of the agents had seen their faces, so they had no reason to kill them just yet.

When they reached the building they were meeting at they rushed inside, the last man in locking the doors shut to avoid anyone else slipping in behind them. He ripped the mask off his face, turning to his comrades.

'' They knew we were coming.'' He said. '' How the hell did they know we were coming.''

'' We had everything planned to a T. There's no way they could've ambushed us like that.'' Someone else said.

'' It doesn't matter now.''

Everyone turned to face the man sitting against the wall. He had been the one to fire on the tower just a day prior.

'' We've tried to kill two of them three times now, and we still failed. This will take more then just guns and missiles. We need something more.'' He stated.

'' Like what?'' One of the men asked. '' We have nothing we can use against them. They will kill us before we can land a mark.''

'' They're vulnerable.'' He stated, standing fron where he sat. '' They are shaken after everything that's happened. That's why they ran.''

'' But ran to where?'' Someone questioned.

'' That's what we need to find out.'' He stated. '' I'm calling in help from an old business friend. He will be able to get s some gear to finish this.''

'' How can you possibly trust him?'' Someone asked.

'' I can because he hates the Avengers just as much as we do.'' He stated. '' Trust me when I say that we will be able to get gear that will bring them to their knees.''

The men standing around him began to grin at this.

'' Until we have the gear we need to lay low. Return to your normal lives for a awhile. Let them think they've won, and when they least expect it they will be brought to their knees.''

'' What kind of gear are we talking about?'' Someone asked.

'' Gear that they have faced before, that will take all of them by surprise.'' He stated.

'' Even the thunder god?'' Someone asked.

'' Not just him. It will take them all down, and then there will be no more Avengers.'' He said.

A cheer rang out in the room as he turned towards his chair to take a seat. When he sat down he reached for his cellphone.

He was going to make sure that this was finished once and for all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello my readers. I have a question to ask you all. I had an idea pop into my head for the next story I want to write, and I wanted to add an original character to the mix. I want your opinion on the idea. I have already decided that the character is going to be a girl close to my age, and somehow she will be related to one of the Avengers. If you like the idea then please leave me a comment letting me know what you think. I would really appreciate it.


	6. Chapter 6

When the team landed in D.C. medical was waiting for them to take Clint away for treatment. The archer was the first one off the jet, stumbling slightly from the blood loss. There was only so much they could do to stop it on the jet, and it had not been enough. Once they could get to him medical was whisking him away to treat the gunshot wound. Natasha wanted nothing more then to follow him, bu the medical staff would not allow her to do so. No one mentioned how she looked ready to rip the medical staff's heads off right there. 

As the rest of the team began to step off the jet director Fury walked up to them. He had a grim look on his face as he greeted the Avengers.

'' I take it things did not go as planned.'' Fury said.

'' You could say that.'' Tony mumbled.

'' They knew we would be there. They were waiting for us.'' Natasha stated.

'' Clint got hit, but the rest of us made it out unharmed.'' Steve stated.

'' But you're not out of the woods yet.'' Fury stated. '' Follow me.'' He said, turning on his heels to head towards the doors off the landing pad. They followed close behind, worry weighing down on their shoulders with every step they took. Fury lead them further into the SHIELD headquarters, where they found agents rushing about computer monitors as they worked away on cases unrelated to what had just happened to them. Fury walked right past all of the chaos, leading the team towards a nearby conference room. When they stepped inside they found a large TV against the wall playing news footage from that morning. 

'' The news got word of the plan.'' Fury stated as the door shut behind them. '' That's why they knew where you were. They were laying in wait, so when you showed up they tried to take you all out.'' 

'' They nearly did.'' Steve mumbled. He had been telling the truth earlier. If Tony had not thought to have JARVIS pilot his suit instead of SHIELD taking it then they might be dead right now.

'' Hill and the others made it out alive.'' Fury mentioned. '' As soon as you were in the air they just left. Hill tried to follow them, but she lost them about five miles outside the city.'' He explained.

'' Does the news know we're here?'' Steve asked, turning his back on the TV. the rest of his team was still watching in utter shock and awe, unable to draw their gaze away.

'' So far no.'' Fury said. '' But that doesn't mean that they don't have that information. It's no longer safe for you to stay here.''

'' What do you mean?'' Steve asked. '' What's going on here?''

Fury held up a hand, silencing the man. As he did this the windows went dark, blocking the view from the outside. Everyone turned to face Fury at this.

'' What are you doing?'' Natasha asked, her hand resting on her hip, ready to grab for the gun strapped to it.

'' There will be no need for that agent.'' Fury stated. '' It's only for your protection.''

'' What are you hiding from us Fury?'' Tony demanded.

'' This is no time for tricks'' Thor boomed, anger in his tone.

'' I believe there is a mole in SHIELD.'' Fury stated.

'' Mole?'' Thor questioned. '' You mean those little rodents that live underground?'' He asked.

'' Not that kind of mole Thor.'' Bruce corrected.

'' He means that someone here is a traitor.'' Natasha said. '' Someone working for SHIELD gave away the plan, and nearly had us killed.''

'' Do you know who it is?'' Fury asked.

'' No. The agents I can trust are running background checks on all the staff in this facility and around the country. Hopefully they will find something before long.'' Fury explained.

'' And if they don't?'' Tony asked. '' What happens then?''

'' Then I don't know.'' Fury said. '' But we won't stop until he or she is found.'' He stated.

'' But what about us?'' Bruce asked. '' We can't just stay here like this until the situation blows over.''

'' Bruce's right.'' Tony said. '' I still have a company to keep running, and who knows when Thor will have to run back to Asgard.''

'' Not only that. If Clint and I are benched then missions will start to pile up.'' Natasha commented.

'' I understand that.'' Fury stated. '' But it's for your own good.''

'' So if we're grounded indefinitely, what's the plan from here?'' Steve asked.

'' You lay low.'' Fury stated. '' I have a plan to get you out of D.C. in one piece, and to a safe house. One of the hellicarriers is taking off tomorrow. When it does you will be on board, ready to take a quinjet the rest of the distance to the safe house.'' He explained.

'' And how is that going to work if SHIELD is compromised?'' Steve asked. '' You don't know who you can trust.''

'' I think I can trust this man with my life any day.'' Fury stated. 

The team stood there with differing looks of confusion on their faces. That was when Fury stepped away from the door. They watched as it opened up, and someone stepped inside. 

The sound of a pin dropping could have been heard. 

There, in the doorway to the room, stood none other than Phil Coulson, and he was very much alive. 

The team was rendered speechless, unable to comprehend what it was they were looking at. Thor seemed shocked most of all. He had watched as his brother ran him through with the staff he had carried. The wound should have been fatal. 

How was he still alive?

'' It's been awhile, and I'm sure you're all wondering what's going on here.'' Phil stated. 

'' You could say that.'' Bruce mumbled. The doctor reached for his glasses to clean them, as if what he were seeing was a smudge playing tricks with his eyes. 

'' I watched as you were stabbed through the heart. How is it that you still live?'' Thor asked. 

'' Long story that we will have time for at a later date.'' Phil said. '' Right now we need to focus on making sure you all get out of here safely.''

'' That was the whole reason we were brought here in the first place.'' Steve commented. '' If its not safe for us here then were is it safe?'' He asked.

'' Nowhere is safe.'' Bruce said. '' Not as long as they're out there looking for us.''

This seemed to sink in when they heard it.

'' What are we going to do?'' Natasha asked after a few minutes of crushing silence.

'' Like I said before. We're going to get you out of D.C., and to a safe house.'' Fury said. '' Agent Coulson already has everything prepared for you. He will make sure that you get away undetected before taking lead of the investigation into who's trying to kill you.'' He explained.

'' And what happens when the mole figures out your plan?'' Tony asked. '' Someone's bound to know it by now.''

'' That should not be a problem Stark.'' Phil said. '' I've got it all taken care of, just like Fury said.''

'' Are you positive that no one knows?'' Steve asked. '' Three attempts have been made on our lives so far. Clint's the worst off. If he gets hit again there may not be any getting back up.'' He stated.

'' As I said, everything is planned.'' Phil said.

Silence filled the room as the team looked around at each other. Everyone had their doubts about this plan. The first one SHIELD had created had not gone well, and nearly got Clint killed. If the mole found out the new plan, then there was a high chance that someone would come after them when they were set to leave.

It was not safe.

'' I'll leave you here to think things over.'' Fury said. '' Agent Coulson will be back later to take you to your rooms for the night. For now just stay here, and don't go anywhere.'' He stated.

No one said anything until Fury and Coulson finally left the room.

'' I don't like this plan.'' Tony said. '' It reeks of a trap.''

'' It's no better then the one they had to get us out of New York.'' Steve said. '' Someone is bound to know about the plan by now.

'' And we don't know who we can trust.'' Natasha added.

'' It is not safe for us to remain here.'' Thor said. '' Surly someone will discover where we reside, and they will stop at nothing to take us out.''

'' Or even worse, kill us in our sleep.'' Bruce commented, a hint of worry to his tone.

There was no missing the anxiety that began to fill the air.

'' We need to get to Clint.'' Natasha said. '' I don't feel comfortable with him alone with the doctors.''

'' I'll go with you.'' Steve said.

'' I'll go to.'' Bruce said. '' While I may not be that kind of doctor, if they did do something them I'm the best thing that you got.''

Natasha nodded before she turned to face Tony and Thor.

'' Someone needs to stay behind just in case.'' Natasha said. '' You two ok with that?'' She asked.

'' Not like there's anything I could do anyways.'' Tony said.

'' While I wish to be of aid, I would only cause trouble in the healers room.'' Thor said. '' I shall remain behind.''

'' Ok.'' Natasha turned to leave.

'' Natasha?'' She turned back to find Tony standing there.

'' Make sure he's ok.'' Tony whispered.

'' I will, I promise.'' Natasha said. She spun on her heel a moment later, and left the room with the two other members of her team.

 

\---

 

There was no one on guard when they reached the medical ward, which was the first thing that made Natasha suspicious. 

Something was wrong here. 

Why did Fury not have some trusted Agents watching over Clint while he was being treated? It did not make any sense. Surly he was not just ignoring the fact that someone inside of SHIELD wanted to tip off the men who were out to kill them. 

'' Somethings up.'' Natasha quickly stated. '' We need to find Clint, and fast.'' 

They speed walked their way down the hallway of the medical ward, eyes searching every door for the room that Clint was in. It did not take them long to find the room. Natasha recognized the code name that was used above the door frame. It was one that very few people knew of, and she would never give it away. 

She stepped into the room, but was surprised to find that the lone bed in the room was empty. 

The sheets had been pulled back, an indication that the occupant had left in a rush. 

'' Where are you Clint?'' She whispered. 

'' Did they take him  while Fury was talking with us?'' Steve asked, stepping up towards the bed. Upon closer inspection Steve found droplets of blood on the sheets. Clint had definitely been here. 

However, Steve was not expecting to see another drop join the already dry ones. He jumped back, eyes shooting up to the ceiling. 

'' He's in the air ducts.'' Natasha whispered, a sigh of relief escaping her. Clint had made a habit of doing this nearly anywhere he lived. He must have known what was going on, and hidden for his own safety. 

Sure enough, Natasha watched as the grate lifted free of the air duct, and out popped a head. Clint was smirking at them, but there was no missing the pained lines in his face. 

'' Did you really think I'd let them get their hands on me?'' Clint asked. 

'' Are you hurt?'' Natasha asked. 

'' One of my stitches popped, no biggy.'' Clint answered as he began to lower himself out of the air duct. '' I've lived through worse then this, trust me.'' 

'' How did you get up there?'' Steve asked, eyes glued to the air duct as Clint pushed the grate back into place. 

'' I'm surprised you even have to ask him that.'' Bruce chuckled. '' But why were you up there?'' 

'' I had a funny feeling about one of the doctors treating me. He kept whispering to someone behind him that I couldn't see. I'm not sure what they were talking about, but I doubt that it was anything good.'' Clint explained. 

'' Dammit.'' Natasha cursed. '' It was the informant.'' 

'' Informant?'' Clint questioned. 

'' We'll explain later. We need to get back to Tony and Thor.'' Natasha stated. '' I've got a bad feeling about all of this.'' 

'' What do you mean?'' Bruce asked. 

'' I think they're already here.'' Natasha whispered as she turned to the door to leave. The others shared a glance of horror before they turned to follow the assassin. 

If they were here, then they needed to leave now. 

 

\---

 

Not even ten minutes after Natasha and the others had left, two agents came waltzing into the conference room. Thor was standing guard at the head of the table with his hammer in hand, ready for a fight. Tony was sitting a little ways down with his feet propped up on the table. 

They were not expecting visitors. 

'' Why is it that you are here?'' Thor demanded, his tone serious and angry. 

Neither one of the agents said a word. They just stood there, faces stone cold. 

Neither one of them liked the looks of this. 

'' Did Agent send you in here after us or something?'' Tony asked, knowing that they would not understand the nickname he used for Phil all the time. Once again, they did not say a word. Tony stood from where he was seated, a sinking feeling starting to fill him. 

Something was seriously wrong here. 

'' Friend Stark, how fast can you summon your suit?'' Thor asked, his eyes never leaving the two agents. 

'' Not fast enough.'' Tony answered as he reached for the earpiece JARVIS was programmed into. 

The agents moved faster then Tony even thought possible. One of them going for Thor, while the second ran straight at him. The agent caught his hand just as it came up with the earpiece. He took it effortlessly, and threw it against the adjacent wall. It shattered upon impact. 

'' You won't get away this time.'' The agent whispered. 


	7. Chapter 7

Thor threw the agent that had run at him up against the wall one handed. The agent crumbled to the floor, but he was already starting to get back up. 

'' Put the hammer down now!'' 

Thor spun around to face the second agent. He was standing there, Tony held in a headlock. The agents gun was pressed to the mans head, ready to pull the trigger. 

'' Release my friend!'' Thor demanded. 

'' Put the hammer down or Stark will die.'' The agent warned. He made his point by tightening his grip around Tony's neck. The billionaire choked, fighting for every breath he could get. 

'' You fight with no honor.'' Thor said. '' Leave him out of this and face me.'' 

'' That's not why we're here, and you know it.'' The agent said. '' I won't say it again. If you don't put the damn hammer down then I will shoot him in the head.'' He warned. To prove his point he cocked the gun back, leaving it only a twitch away from firing into Tony's head.

Tony was watching Thor with a pleading gaze. He was begging for him not to give in to these men.

Thor bit at his lip. There was only one option here, only one that he was willing to face if it meant that his friend would live.

He slowly placed his hammer on the floor before himself. 

'' Dammit Thor.'' Tony cursed. 

There was no other way. He could attack, but the risk of hitting Tony as well was high. Not only that, but Thor worried that if he even tried the agent would shoot Tony before his hammer ever got close to him. He refused to put his friends life at risk. 

'' Good choice.'' The agent said, but he did not lower his gun. It was clear to Thor that he was not going anywhere, and Neither was Tony. '' I'm glad that you see things my way.'' He said. 

'' Let my friend go.'' Thor said. '' You have what you wanted, now release him.'' 

'' I need insurance.'' The agent answered. '' To be sure that you don't step out of line.'' 

'' How dare you.'' Thor seethed. 

'' I'd be careful what you say.'' The agent behind Thor said as he too reached for his gun. '' My friend here has a twitchy finger. One wrong word could have a bullet splitting your friends skull open.'' He warned. Thor wanted nothing more then to kill these men, but he could not risk it while Tony was being held at gunpoint. 

'' What do you want from us?'' Thor asked, trying to keep his tone even. 

'' We want you to come along quietly.'' The second agent said. '' If you do, then your friend doesn't die.'' 

'' And If I refuse?'' Thor asked. 

'' You don't want to know the second option.'' The agent said. '' Now, turn around to face my partner there.'' He said, pointing to the other agent. '' But if you try anything then your friend gets shot. If I see even a twitch then he's dead.'' He stated. 

'' Don't listen to them Thor!'' Tony shouted. The agent was not happy at this outburst. He struck Tony's head with the gun. Tony slumped in the mans grip, only being held up by the arm around his neck. He jerked hard, forcing Tony back onto his feet. Thor noted the dazed look in Tony's eyes when his gaze lifted. The arm around his throat tightened once more, and Tony once again struggled to take a breath as the man shouted at him. Thor moved to take a step forward as if to attack him, but the ma was quick to react by tightening his grip on Tony's neck. Thor froze where he stood, watching as the color began to drain from Tony's face as he fought to remain conscious.

'' If you don't do what I say now I won't let up, I will kill him!'' He shouted. 

Tony's lips were turning blue

Thor did as he was told, not wanting to watch his friend be hurt again. When he turned to face the agent he saw a pair of metal cuffs waiting for him. They did not look like they would hold him at all, but Thor knew what would happen if he proved that point. The agent was quick to put the cuffs around his wrists, tightly securing them. Then, in a way to hide them from view, he draped a jacket over the cuffs. It looked like he was just holding the jacket up instead of being handcuffed. The agent nodded in approval.

'' Good decision.'' The second agent said. He slowly began to move forward, still holding the gun to Tony's head. '' Now, we're going to walk out of here nice and quietly. Make one wrong move and we shoot not only him, but any of the innocent agents out there.'' The agent then turned his attention to Tony. '' And if you say a word then even more will die.'' He stated. '' Now move.''

 He shoved Tony forward, causing the billionaire to lose his balance. Thor reached out, catching him as best he could with the cuffs on his hands. He steadied the man, quickly noting the wound in his hairline from where he had been struck. Rage filled Thor. These men would pay dearly for harming his friend.

'' Move.'' The agents said at the same time, guns pointed at them.

Thor did not see any other way.

He helped to get Tony standing upright, noting just how unsteady he was.

'' Can you walk friend Stark?'' Thor asked.

'' Yeah.'' Tony answered, managing to steady himself after a minute or so.

'' Start walking.'' The agent said. '' Now, or else.''

Thor turned, and began to walk towards the door. Tony followed close behind him, eyeing the agents behind him. They had not put their guns away, but they were well hidden by the suit jackets they were wearing.

How were they going to get out of this one?

 

\---

 

'' Dammit.'' Natasha cursed.

'' They were one step ahead of us again.'' Steve whispered.

'' How the hell did they even manage to get Thor down?'' Clint questioned, eyeing the hammer that lay still on the floor. '' The guy's an unmovable wall.'' He stated.

'' They must have been taken by surprise.'' Natasha said.

'' Either that, or they used Tony to get to Thor.'' Steve said. '' If they were caught off guard then they could have held him hostage to get Thor to do exactly what they wanted.''

'' Which means that he won't fight back.'' Natasha whispered, worry in her voice. '' Thor would not risk hurting a friend to stop whoever was in here. We need to find them. I just hope they're not out of the building yet.''

They turned to leave the room, but just as they did something moved behind them. They all spun, and watched as Thor's hammer took off through the nearby wall, heading at an unbelievable speed. The three of them just stood there in shock and awe, before finally snapping out of it.

'' Follow that hammer!'' Steve shouted.

 

\---

 

They had not been walking long.

Every now and then Tony and Thor would glance behind themselves to see the two agents with their guns still held at the ready. They were not joking around.

'' Got any plan big guy?'' Tony whispered.

'' None.'' Thor stated. '' What about you man of Iron?'' He asked.

'' I have one.'' Tony stated. '' But you need to trust me.'' He stated.

'' What are you planning?'' Thor asked.

'' When I say so summon your hammer.'' Tony stated.

'' They will kill you.'' Thor said. '' I won't do it.''

'' Just listen to me.'' Tony said. '' I need you to trust me, and just do as I say. Summon your hammer when I tell you to.'' He said.

'' If that is what you wish.'' Thor said, not liking where this plan was going. If a single thing went wrong then Tony could be killed.

It was a literal life or death plan.

A few tense minutes passed as they continued to walk along. There was a hallway coming up on their right. Thor was starting to see was Tony had planned now. They walked until they were standing right beside it.

'' NOW!''

As Tony dove for the hallway Thor spun on the agents, the cuffs broken with a single pull. The agents fired on him, but their bullets simply bounced off the armor on his chest. In less then five seconds Thor's hammer came into view. When it did the agents had shock and anger on their faces. However, that did not last long. The second the hammer was in his hands he attacked.

In less than a minute there was not much left of them.

Thor stood there for a minute, electricity still flickering around the hammer. When he was sure the job was done he turned to the hallway.

'' Are you well friend Stark?'' Thor asked.

'' I'm alright.'' Tony said, stepping back out into the hallway. He glanced over to the remains of the two men, a low whistle escaping him. '' You were merciless.'' He commented.

 Both their gazes shot up at the sound of approaching footsteps. Thor held his hammer up, ready to attack what ever was coming for them.

'' They have called for backup. Get behind me.'' Thor said.

'' You don't have to tell me twice.'' Tony mumbled, already in motion. Thor watched the end of the hallway for any sign of what was coming their way. He watched for maybe a minute, and then he saw four figures step out. 

He lowered his hammer when he realized who it was. 

'' Captain Rogers.'' Thor called out. '' It is good to see that you are all safe.'' 

'' Capsicles there?'' Tony asked, leaning over to peer around Thor's form. When he saw the remaining members of the team standing there he stepped out. '' About time you showed up. I thought you would miss the party.'' 

'' What the hell happened?'' Natasha asked. '' We were gone for maybe fifteen minutes.'' She stated. 

'' The moles found us.'' Tony said. '' I tried to call for the suit, but they broke the earpiece I was using.'' 

'' The men held friend Stark at gunpoint to ensure that I would not attack them.'' Thor said. '' I refused to attack them until the right moment.'' He explained. 

'' We thought they had gotten away.'' Steve said. '' Clint told us one of the doctors treating him was talking with someone he couldn't see.'' He glanced down to what was left of the two agents. '' It must have been them.'' He mumbled. 

'' We need to get out of D.C.'' Bruce stated. '' It's not safe for us here. The longer we're here, the more we put innocent people at risk.'' 

'' Phil said he had a plan, but its clear that the plan has flown out the window now.'' Natasha stated. '' We need to find our own way out, before anyone else gets hurt.'' 

'' What have you got in mind?'' Thor asked. 

'' We need a quinjet.'' Steve said. '' Clint, you in any shape to fly one?'' He asked. 

'' I could fly one with no arms Cap.'' Clint answered. '' Just make sure I don't die on the way.'' 

'' Good.'' Steve said. He turned to face Tony. '' Think you can get to your suit without being seen?'' He asked. 

'' I'll make sure of it.'' Natasha said. 

'' I don't need a body guard.'' Tony argued. 

'' But you need someone who can keep you out of sight.'' Natasha stated, quickly silencing the man. '' I'm the best person for the job.'' She said. Tony did not say anything to that. 

'' We need to be quick. Don't talk to anyone.'' Steve said. '' And try to stay out of sight. The last thing we need right now is getting caught again.'' The others nodded in understanding to the plan before turning to head in separate directions. 

If this plan did not work, then they were not sure how they were getting out of this one. 

 

\---

 

'' Is the coast clear?'' 

Steve glanced around the corner, looking down the hallway to eye the guards standing down there. They were standing in front of the doors that lead to the hanger bay, where the quinjet lay waiting for them. 

'' There's two agents guarding the doors.'' Steve said, glancing behind himself to where Clint stood. The archer was the only one with him at the moment. Bruce had gone with Thor to hide out somewhere that they would not be seen. Thor was way to noticeable, and if someone managed to trigger the Hulk then things would not end well for anyone, no matter what side they were on. '' Not sure what side they're on.'' Steve stated. While they looked like an ordinary SHIELD agent, the opposite could be true as well. 

'' Any chance you have your shield tucked under that shirt or something?'' Clint asked. 

'' No.'' Steve mumbled. His shield was still on the jet as far as he knew. '' But we need to get past them somehow.'' Steve said. 

'' Alright.'' Clint mumbled. '' I might have a plan.'' He said. 

'' What's your plan?'' Steve asked. 

Clint reached down to his side, grabbing the gun that he had retrieved off one of the agents that had nearly taken Thor and Tony. He clicked the safety off before peering around the corner. 

'' Cover me.'' Clint said. 

'' What?'' 

Steve watched as Clint darted out into the open, gun held up and ready to fire. The agents guarding the door immediately drew their own weapons to fire on him.


	8. Chapter 8

The gunshots echoed through the building.

'' THEY CAME FROM THAT WAY, HURRY!'' A guard shouted as they ran towards where the shots had been fired.

'' So much for keeping a low profile.'' Natasha mumbled.

'' This might work in our favor you know.'' Tony commented from beside her.

'' Yeah, not likely.'' She whispered.

The sound of the guards footsteps began to recede as they got closer to the gunshots. Natasha peered around the corner, watching for any signs of any more guards. The coast appeared to be clear, so she turned to face Tony.

'' We shouldn't be far now.'' Natasha said. '' But we need to hurry.'' She stated.

'' You don't have to tell me twice.'' Tony said.

Natasha glanced around the corner one last time before she motioned for Tony to follow her. They moved down the hallway at a fast pace, eyes peeled for any signs of agents. They could not afford to be caught this time.

When Natasha reached the end of the hallway she peered around the next corner. This was the last stretch to get to where Tony's suit was at. She could see the door at the end of the hallway, the one that lead to the roof where the suit should still be sitting.

'' You're sure that JARVIS left the suit there?'' Natasha asked as they ran.

'' Positive. He would not let anything happen to it as long as he has control of it.'' Tony stated.

Natasha threw the doors to the roof open, rushing outside.

She stopped for a split second, eyes scanning for any signs of someone on the roof to meet them.

She saw the glint of metal a second to late.

Then there was a sharp pain in her head as she fell to the ground.

 

\---

 

'' Nat!''

Tony ducked behind the wall, watching in horror as Natasha crumbled to the ground. Blood blossomed just above her left eye, quickly flowing to coat that side of her face. At first glance Tony thought for sure that she was dead. However, a closer look indicated that she was in fact still breathing.

She was alive.

He moved to try and grab her, wanting to pull her back into what little safety the hallway offered, but before he could even move a foot bullets began to rain down on the doorway. Tony turned his head away from the door as a few of the bullets began to fly through the opening. Glass and drywall were raining down on him as the bullets continued to fly. He could not just leave Natasha out there. She would be killed at this rate.

'' Dammit.'' He cursed.

It was nearly five minutes before the bullets finally fell silent. He waited for a few seconds to see if the shots would continue. When he did not hear a bullet fired off he ran for the doorway.

Tony could see the Iron Man suit just a few yards away, resting exactly were he had left it when they landed. The second he stepped out into the open the suit turned as if to acknowledge him. In the span of a second the suit was opening up and rushing towards him. It wrapped around Tony's body, the hud flashing immediately with warnings of the oncoming attack.

'' JARVIS put everything the suits got into the thrusters.'' Tony said as he turned to fly towards Natasha. He reached the downed spy in seconds, and scooped her up bridal stile before taking off into the air. Bullets ricocheted off the suit, but none of them came close to striking Natasha. Tony made sure of that.

He looked down towards the spy when he was sure that he was at a good distance. Natasha's head had lulled against the chest piece, turning up towards the sky. Blood coated the left side of her face, matting her hair to her skin.

'' JARVIS, scan.'' Tony said, worried about her. He watched as the AI ran the scan through the hud.

_**Miss Romanov appears to have been grazed by a bullet sir. Her skull was not fractured. I fear she may have a concussion however. I advise taking her to a hospital right away.** _

'' Yeah, there's no time for that right now J.'' Tony answered. '' We need to find the others. Take us to the hangar bay.'' Tony said.

_**Right away Sir.** _

 

\---

 

Clint and Steve stood in the hallway that was littered with the bodies of the agents who were set to keep them away from the hangar bay.

'' Guess you really can't miss.'' Steve commented, following Clint towards the hangar bay.

'' What can I say. I'm a good shot.'' Clint said, holstering the gun he had taken from one of the downed guards. When he opened the doors to enter he found the jet left where it had been upon their landing. '' Alright. We need to move fast.'' Clint said.

'' Right.''

The two of them ran towards the jet, not knowing if anyone was hidden out there. Steve managed to outrun Clint, reaching the jet before the archer did. Once the two were onboard Clint rushed to the pilots chair, flipping on all the power.

There was a crackling sound as the coms came online.

_'' C-...... Anyo-..... Hear Me. Rogers, Barton, you two alive down there?''_

'' We hear you Stark. Loud and clear.'' Clint answered as he began to power up the engines. '' Where you at?'' Clint asked.

_'' I should be right above you guys.''_

'' Where's Nat?'' Steve asked.

There was silence for a moment.

_'' She got hit. A bullet grazed her head. I'm carrying her right now.''_

'' Dammit. I'm going to make these guys pay.'' Clint seethed as the engines finally came up. '' How'd she get hit in the first place?'' Clint asked.

_'' She insisted on being the first person to go outside. I didn't see the gunman until she was already on the ground.''_

'' Is she going to be ok?'' Steve asked.

_'' JARVIS ran a scan. Its not fatal, but its not good either..... She's bleeding pretty bad.''_

'' Get her on the jet. We need to stay low long enough for Thor to get onboard with Bruce.'' Clint explained. '' When I open the hatch for them don't hesitate to fly in.'' He stated.

_'' I will roger that.''_

'' Don't let anything else happen to her.'' Clint said, his voice softer then it was before.

_'' I promise I'll keep her safe.''_

Steve could barely believe the sincerity in Tony's voice. It was rare to see this side of the billionaire.

'' If anything happens keep us posted. The last thing we need is the team getting separated now.'' Steve said.

_'' Got it.''_

The comms went dead a moment later as Clint focused on flying the jet towards where Thor and Bruce were hiding.

 

\---

 

'' Can you see them yet?'' Bruce asked from the shadows of the training facilities.

'' Not yet my friend.'' Thor answered. '' Hopefully we shall hear from them soon.'' He said.

'' I know I heard gunshots. I hope they're ok.'' Bruce said.

'' If they have fallen at the hands of these men then they will pay with their lives.'' Thor said. '' I refuse to let anyone be hurt by these traitors of SHIELD.'' He stated. Bruce nodded his agreement. The other guy was itching to be let out. If anything had happened to the rest of the team, or, god forbid, one of them was killed, then he was not sure if he would be able to hold the Hulk back.

Another five or ten minutes passed, and finally there was movement in the sky's.

'' Thor, look there.'' Bruce said, pointing to the black object flying across the sky. As it got closer the two were able to make out that it was in fact the quinjet. There was a smaller object flying just behind it. It did not take the two long to identify the Iron Man armor, which appeared to be carrying something in its arms.

'' That is our queue.'' Thor said as he held up his hammer. He reached out, wrapping one arm tight around Bruce's shoulders. '' You will want to hold on my friend.'' Thor warned as he began to spin his hammer. Bruce took the warning with heart, and latched himself onto the god by gripping the cape he wore for dear life. Within seconds the two were flying into the air, a rather surprised yelp escaping Bruce's throat as they flew up to the jet.

Thor managed to land them both in the back of the jet, but it was far from a soft landing. Thor stumbled slightly when he landed, being thrown off from carrying the extra weight. Bruce immediately let go of his cape, falling flat on his back. His heart was racing in terror. Bruce knew he had to get it under control unless they wanted the Hulk to take them back down.

Bruce moved to take a seat against the wall, but before even getting a foot away from where he had fallen his eyes were drawn to something else.

He, along with the rest of the team, watched as Tony flew inside the hatch of the jet carrying a limp Natasha in his arms.

The suit began to pull away from Tony's body before the hatch to the jet was even shut. Tony still had ahold of Natasha, slowly lowering himself to the floor to set her down.

'' Oh my god.'' Steve whispered, rushing to Tony's side to get to Natasha.

'' She got grazed.'' Tony said. '' But she won't stop bleeding.'' He stated.

 Steve was afraid to even touch her, afraid that he would only make it worse. Natasha's head slowly fell to the side, setting against Tony's stomach where her blood began to stain his shirt.

It took nearly a minute for Bruce to break himself free of the trance like state he had fallen into. Once free he rushed to Natasha's side.

'' Thor, grab the med kit.'' Bruce said. '' She's going to need stitches to stop the bleeding.'' He stated.

'' With haste.'' Thor said before running towards where they left the med kit.

'' Is she ok?'' Clint asked from the cockpit. '' Please, someone tell me what's going on back there. Is Nat alright?'' He begged.

'' She's out cold.'' Steve said. '' And she's bleeding pretty badly.''

_**Agent Barton, I can take over for a time if you would wish to join the rest of the team.** _

'' Yeah. Take control J.'' Clint said, ripping the seat belt open to free himself. He ran back to where the others were. Tony was still holding onto Natasha as if she was ready to fall apart. Steve was listening to something that Bruce was telling him before racing off to fetch what ever it was he needed. Thor returned after a few minutes with the med kit in hand, and immediately passed it off to Bruce. Bruce began to rummage through it, finding a few of the supplies that he would need.

'' Here.'' Steve said before falling at Bruce's side with a towel in hand. Bruce did not waste a second in dousing it with the disinfectant from the kit.

'' Tony, turn her head so I can see the wound.'' Bruce said. Tony did as he was told, gently turning Natasha's head away from him so that Bruce could see the gash in her head. Bruce held her head up with his free hand, while he used the other to dab at the wound The towel slowly began to stain red after awhile, but Bruce did not care about that. After about five minutes or so he could see the wound perfectly. The gash was very deep, blood still oozing from it. She was clearly going to need stitches.

'' Tony, can you hold her head still?'' Bruce asked.

Tony nodded again before reaching out to steady her head. Bruce threaded the needle he would need to use, and got to work.

Within fifteen minutes her head was stitches shut, and he was wrapping gauze around it for extra protection.

'' JARVIS, scan.'' Bruce said once he was finished taping the gauze in place.

The team all waited for what felt like forever.

_**Agent Romanoff's breathing and heartbeat are normal. She does not appear to show any serious signs that would require a hospital. However, I still advise to take her to one due to the fear of a concussion.** _

'' She would kill us before we ever got her through the door.'' Clint said. '' Trust me, I've tried.'' He stated.

'' We need to get her off the floor.'' Steve said. '' Thor, go pull out cot.'' He said. Thor nodded before racing off to get it. Once he had it down Steve reached out to grab Natasha. There was no missing the look that Tony sent his way. He did not appear ready to let go of her just yet. '' We need to move her to a bed Tony. It's ok.'' Steve insisted.

In the end Tony relented, allowing Steve to sweep Natasha up in his arms. It was only then that anyone noticed the slight tremor to Tony's hands. Steve turned his attention away, focusing on getting Natasha to the cot. He heard Bruce start talking to Tony, telling the billionaire that it was going to be ok. Once Steve had Natasha settled in the cot he turned back to the rest of the team.

Steve noticed that Tony was staring at his hands, which were coated in Natasha's blood. He watched as Bruce moved to help the man stand.

'' Lets get you cleaned up ok.'' Bruce suggested  before leading Tony away. When they walked past Steve, he could not ignore the pallor to Tony's face. He was clearly in shock. Seeing so much blood must have reminded him of something that was not in his files.

Clint moved to take a seat beside the cot, resting a hand on Natasha's shoulder. Thor stood close by, casting a glance in Bruce and Tony's direction before his gaze fell to the floor.

They had taken a hard hit, and when they thought they would be safe.

First the car crash, then the tower, the airport, and now this.

When would this madness end.


	9. Chapter 9

It had only been a few hours since the jet had taken off into the sky with the broken team inside. 

Steve gazed out of the jet through the front windows, watching as clouds slowly moved under them. They were supposed to be safe at this height, but Steve had his doubts. 

He turned back to find the rest of the team sitting around the jet. Clint was still sitting beside Natasha's cot, a hand resting on her shoulder. She had yet to wake up. Steve could see that Clint was on edge given the way his jaw was set. He was clearly upset about what had happened. Thor was sitting against the opposite wall from the cot. He was watching Natasha from where he sat, Mjolnir in his hands. Steve saw his eyes flit off to the right to eye where Tony was sitting. The billionaire was sitting a few feet away from the thunder god, bent over himself staring at his hands. He had not said a word since he brought Natasha on board, still gripped in shock. Steve was pretty sure that he had never seen the man look so defeated since they had met. Steve could also see from here that he was still shaken by what had happened, and he did not blame him one bit. After all, Tony had been the only one of them to witness Natasha get struck, and he had been powerless to stop it. 

Steve knew exactly what that felt like, remembering the train where he had thought Bucky had fallen to his death.

Steve heard footsteps to his left, and turned to find Bruce walking towards him. 

'' Has she woken up yet?'' Bruce asked quietly. 

'' No.'' Steve answered. '' I don't even think I've seen her flinch.'' He stated. Bruce nodded, eyes scanning the four teammates before him. They all looked so defeated. It was a sad thing to see.

'' What are we going to do now?'' Bruce questioned.

'' We need to focus on finding a safe place to stay. Then we can figure out the next move.'' Steve said. Sadly, looking around the group once more told him that it may be awhile before they were able to go back after the men who did this.

Steve felt helpless in this situation. He just wanted to help them, but there was nothing he could do.

'' JARVIS, where are we at the moment?'' Steve called out.

_**We are currently 30,000 feet in the air above the Great Plains.** _

'' We should find a place to land soon. Somewhere close to a hospital for Nat's sake.'' Steve said.

'' How is she doing J?'' Bruce asked.

_**Agent Romanov is still breathing at a regular rate, and has a steady heartbeat. However, I do still fear the risk of a serious concussion in her injured state.** _

'' We need to be close to a hospital for her sake.'' Bruce said.

'' Think you can get us down somewhere safe?'' Steve asked.

'' I'll see what I can do.'' Bruce answered as he made his way to the pilots seat. As he did this Steve moved to stand beside the cot. He knelt down beside it, reaching out to rest a hand over Natasha's. She was still warm to the touch, so he knew it was a good sign. She was still with them, and she was not going anywhere anytime soon.

'' This isn't the first time its happened.'' Clint commented. Steve looked up to find the archer still staring at Natasha's relaxed features.

'' Budapest. During the mission she got grazed by a bullet that I had fired. It had ricocheted off someone's body armor, and struck her head. She was lucky to have gotten out of that one.'' Clint explained. '' She was not hit nearly as bad as last time, but it still sends a shiver through me to see her taken down like that.'' He whispered.

'' Natasha's a fighter. I'm pretty sure she would fight her way back to us even if it did take her out.'' Steve commented. '' She'll be ok.''

'' I hope so.'' Clint whispered.

Silence fell after that. Eventually Steve stood from where he had been kneeling to turn and face Thor and Tony. Thor was watching him with worried eyes, while Tony had yet to even move.

'' Friend Stark is in shock.'' Thor said, concern in his voice. '' I wish to help him, but am unsure how to do so. I do not want to upset him.'' He explained.

'' I know.'' Steve whispered.

'' I fear for him.'' Thor whispered. '' Out of all of us, it appears that he has been the one to suffer the most in this crisis we face.'' He stated. Steve could only bring himself to shake his head at Thor's words. Tony had been present at most of the attacks pulled against them, save for the mission that Clint and Natasha had taken to try and head them off.

Steve ran a hand back through his hair, sighing in frustration.

He felt absolutely lost.

The two felt the jet jerk slightly as it began to descend from the sky.

'' Will we be landing?'' Thor questioned.

'' Soon. I hope.'' Steve answered. '' Once we land we need to find a safe place to stay for the night. There's got to be a house or something nearby that can suffice for us.'' He stated.

'' Do you wish for me to help?'' Thor asked.

'' Someone needs to stay behind and watch after Nat and Tony.'' Steve said. He hated having to had Tony to that group. He knew that the engineer was capable of helping them, but in his current state Steve did not want to push him any.

'' I can handle that.'' Clint called out. '' You'll need Thor if something goes wrong, and if we need a quick getaway then I'll need to pilot this thing.'' He stated.

'' Ok then.'' Steve said. '' Can you handle it by yourself?'' Steve asked.

'' I'll be alright, don't worry about it.'' Clint said. Steve nodded before moving towards the cockpit to watch the descent from the large windows.

When the jet landed it was in a clearing of trees just large enough to hide it from sight. Clint rushed Bruce out of the pilots chair to make sure that the stealth mode was running perfectly to keep them hidden.

'' Keep them safe friend Barton.'' Thor said, patting the archer on the shoulder.

'' I won't let anything happen to them.'' Barton said as he swept up his bow. He threw his quiver over his shoulder, ready to grab an arrow at a moment notice. '' Make sure your locators are working.'' Clint said. '' If you find a place I'd rather know where it is before you get back.'' He stated.

'' Right.'' Steve said.

Before they left, the small team of three stood beside Natasha's cot. She still appeared to be just sleeping. There was still no sign of blood on the gauze that Bruce had wrapped around her head, so her stitches were holding just fine. Now if she would just wake up it would put them all at ease.

Steve turned away, his attention turned towards the other member who was remaining behind. He approached Tony, noting how the man still had yet to move. Steve knelt down in front of him, trying to get his attention. For a moment he reached out as if to rest a hand on the engineers leg, but stopped himself halfway. He did not want to set Tony off.

'' She's going to be ok Tony.'' Steve assured. '' You did all you could do to help her. Nat has to do the rest.'' He stated.

There was a moment of silence.

'' It's no use. Anyone who gets close to me gets killed.''

Steve's heart clenched at those words.

How could Tony say such a thing? This was not his fault. He had not caused Natasha to get hurt the way she did.

'' Tony, none of this is your fault, don't say that.'' Steve said.

Tony's head moved, and Steve gazed up into his dark eyes. There was agony in the dark gaze, mixed with utter fear.

'' Everyone that gets close to me is hurt. There's no point denying it. I nearly got one of them killed today.'' Tony stated, and then his gaze fell to the floor.

Steve was not sure what to say to that. He was rendered speechless by the man.

Steve felt a hand land on his shoulder. When he glanced back he found that it belonged to Clint. The archer smiled down at him.

'' I'll try talking to him later. You guys go see if you can find somewhere for us to stay other then this small ass jet.'' Clint said.

'' We'll do our best.'' Steve said. He pushed to a stand. However, before he walked away, he could not stop himself from resting a hand on Tony's shoulders. There was no missing the tension under the touch. It was as if Tony were ready to bolt at a moments notice. '' I promise you Tony, no one else is going to get hurt.'' Steve said. He knew that would be a hard promise to keep, but he needed to give him something to hold onto in this time. Tony did not respond to the words, but Steve did feel some of the tension melt away under his touch. He backed away after a moment.

'' Take care of them Clint.'' Steve said. '' We're counting on you.''

'' You've got it Cap.'' Clint said.

With one final nod the team of three took off into the trees in search of a proper shelter.

 

\---

 

It was starting to grow dark outside.

Clint leaned back where he was perched on the edge of the bench lining the wall. So far there had been no word from Steve and the others He was worried about what would happen if they were still out there when the sun fully set in the sky.

He would rather not think about that.

Clint slowly turned his gaze from the closed hatch to look towards his two charges. Natasha at some point had turned over onto her side in her sleep. Clint saw this as a sign that she may have woken up even if just for a few seconds. In the time that the others had been gone Tony had finally moved from where he had been sitting to take up a spot beside the cot. Every now and then Clint would see him glance up, but it was not for much longer then a second. Then his gaze would fall back onto the sleeping assassin before him.

Clint pulled his attention away from his charges to check on the trackers that the others had taken with them. There was still no sign of them on the scanners, so Clint knew they had not found anything yet. The sight did send worry through Clint's mind, but he forced it back. Right now he had to focus on keeping Natasha and Tony safe. He knew that they would understand in the end.

'' Why does everyone I get close to get hurt?''

The question caught Clint off guard. His head snapped back over to where the cot lay. He waited for a moment to make sure that what he had heard was not just in his head.

'' No matter what I do, anyone who gets close to me gets hurt, or killed.... I must be cursed or something.'' Tony mumbled.

Ok, he definitely was not hallucinating.

However, that did not make what Tony was saying any better. How could he say such a thing about himself? None of this was his fault.

'' None of this is your fault Tony.'' Clint said. '' You need to stop blaming yourself for what happened.''

'' I could have stopped it.'' Tony said. '' Maybe if I had gone out there first then none of this would have happened to Natasha.'' He stated.

'' Yeah, and you would have been shot instead.'' Clint said. He jumped down from his perch, and moved towards the cot to take a seat beside the engineer. Tony glanced up to look at him.

'' Better me then her.'' Tony stated.

'' It would be better if this had not happened to either of you.'' Clint said. '' We were stuck in a bad situation. It was bound to happen to at least one of us, and it just happened to be Natasha. There was nothing you could have done to stop it.'' He stated.

Tony turned his gaze away from the archer, letting it fall to the ground.

'' Tony.'' Clint reached out, resting a hand on his shoulder. '' I know you don't believe it, but please you need to trust me when I say that this is not your fault.... Trust me when I say this. If I believed it was your fault that Nat was hit then we would not be talking right now.'' Clint stated.

Those words seemed to get the mans attention. Tony glanced back up to him.

'' There was one other time I found out a friend hurt Nat, and it was long before New York. Between you and me, lets just say he won't be found for a few years.'' Clint said. Tony paled at his words.

'' What did you do?'' Tony asked.

'' We were on a mission together. I just made sure he did not make it back.'' Clint explained. '' Because no one hurts Natasha.... That's why when we find the men who did this we will take them down. I don't care if it takes the rest of my life, I will do it.'' Clint stated.

Tony gave him a strange look.

'' What I'm trying to say is that you need to stop blaming yourself. If you want to be upset with someone, then let that be the people who did this to her, not yourself.'' Clint said. Tony nodded, running a hand back through his messy hair.

'' We will get revenge for Nat.'' Clint promised.

'' You're right.'' Tony said. '' I'll be damned if I let anyone else on this team get hurt. This has gone on for long enough.''

Clint saw the glint in Tony's eyes. He smiled at the sight. It had been awhile since he had seen that determination there. 

Tony was back.

_**I hate to interrupt you agent Barton, but it would appear that Captain Rogers has turned on his locator.** _

'' What?''

Both Clint and Tony stood from where they had been sitting to approach the monitors. Sure enough the locator appeared on the screen. Steve was a little over a mile away from their current location. It appeared like he was on the outskirts of a small community.

'' Did he send us a message?'' Clint asked.

_**He told me to inform you that he has found a place that should be safe for you to stay for the night.** _

'' We better get moving then. With the sun going down it will be perfect for us to fly the jet over and land in a safe place.'' Clint stated.

'' We better hurry then.'' Tony said.

Clint nodded as he lunged for the pilots seat.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Easter everyone.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello readers. So I'm giving a warning now because I don't know if it will happen or not but I am coming up on finals week for my University. Because of this postings may be farther apart then they already are, and for that I apologize.

Steve watched as the jet landed as close to the house as it could get.

He stood outside on the porch, watching as the hatch fell to release the three occupants on the jet.

Clint was the first to exit the jet. He was carrying Natasha on his back in a piggyback ride. Tony was walking close behind him, turning for a split second to check the suit which was following behind him. Steve was relieved to see that the engineer appeared to be doing better then he was earlier. The fire was back in his gaze.

Steve walked over to meet the rest of his team.

'' Anything happen while we were gone?'' Steve asked.

'' Nothing interesting.'' Clint said, positioning Natasha a little better.

'' Has she woken up at all?'' Steve asked, voice more somber.

'' No, but she did turn onto her side. That has to be a good sign.'' Clint said. Steve nodded. Natasha was known for tossing and turning when she slept peacefully. It was a trait that they rarely ever got to see because she was always on edge. To see her calm enough to do that made Steve feel much better.

Tony stopped just behind Steve, glancing up at the house.

'' Does this place have power?'' Tony asked.

'' Bruce is working on that now if you want to help him.'' Steve said. Tony nodded to that, and passed by his teammates to head towards the house. Steve waited for him to pass through the doorway before turning back towards Clint.

'' What did you say to him to snap him out of the shock?'' Steve asked.

'' I gave him something to focus on, getting the guys who did this to Nat.'' Clint said.

'' Good.... He's definitely back to himself.'' Steve said. He was glad that Tony had finally come back from what ever rut he had fallen into. Steve just hoped that it would stay that way.

'' We better get Nat inside. I'd rather she be laying down when she wakes up.'' Clint said.

'' Of course.'' Steve said.

He lead the archer inside, closing the door behind him. They took a few steps into the dark interior of the room, lit only by the lantern that Steve had found in the living room of the house. Since, as far as Clint knew, it was the only light they had, he decided to lay Natasha on the old worn down couch that was in the living room. The thing was older then sin, but he wanted her to wake up with some light instead of in utter darkness.

'' I hope the science bros can get the power started soon.'' Clint mentioned, positioning an old cushion under Natasha's head to serve as a pillow. '' I bet that lamp won't last for long.'' He stated.

'' I know what you mean.'' Steve said.

'' Where's Thor at?'' Clint asked, taking a seat beside the couch.

'' Downstairs with Bruce. He wanted to help with any heavy lifting.'' Steve explained. 

'' Heavy lifting?'' Clint questioned. 

'' I don't know.'' Steve said. '' But that's what he said.'' He explained. 

Clint nodded with a low hum befure turning his attention back to Natasha. 

'' Some of her coloring's come back. That has to be a good sign.'' Steve said. 

'' Yeah, but we need to wait for her to wake up to gauge just how bad the injury was.'' Clint said. '' JARVIS kept mentioning a concussion, and that's what I'm most worried about.'' He explained. 

'' I can't blame you there.'' Steve said. 

Some time passed with the two of them sitting in the dim lamplight. The atmosphere around them was tense, but only because they were both worried about Natasha. They were also worried that they could be found here easily. Clint mentioned that they should not stay in one place for too long, so he mentioned shipping out as soon as Natasha was able to move again, if not sooner then that. Steve had no argument against this. They had no idea how far ahead of them the enemy was. As it was, they had nearly taken them all down at SHIELD, where they thought they would be safe. 

They had been proven wrong after two agents nearly kidnapped Tony and Thor, and then Natasha was gunned down during the escape. 

They could not risk anyone else getting hurt. 

Nearly two hours after they had arrived Tony came racing out of the basement, talking a mile a minute beside Bruce, who looked rather annoyed with the engineer. 

'' I don't think its a good idea Tony. It might just explode if you do that.'' Bruce said. 

'' Well its the only way we can get power to this damn place since the lines were cut.'' Tony said. '' The spare will work perfectly for this, just give it a chance.'' 

'' And if it explodes?'' Bruce asked. 

'' If it exploded then I wouldn't use one in my chest.'' Tony deadpanned. He turned to leave the house. '' I'll be back in a minute.'' He stated. 

'' What was all that about?'' Clint asked. 

'' The power lines in the basement were cut. There's no way we could get power without a generator, so Tony wants to use the spare arc reactor in his suit to power the place.'' Bruce explained. 

'' You said it could explode?'' Steve asked. 

'' I don't know much about the arc reactor technology. All I know is that it could overload the circuitry in this house, and cause some serious problems for us later.'' Bruce said. 

'' We need to try something.'' Clint said. '' That lamp won't last us forever, and the jet is not large enough for all of us to stay on it for days at a time.'' He stated. 

'' Tony know's what he's doing. We just need to trust him.'' Steve said. Then something dawned on him. '' Will he be able to use the suit still without its power source?'' Steve asked. 

'' He explained the suit can hook up to the reactor currently in his chest, but he'd rather not have to do that if necessary.'' Bruce explained. Steve and Clint shared a worried look. 

'' Let's hope that we don't get into a fight in the next two or so many days.'' Clint commented. 

'' Hopefully we can solve this mess before then.'' Steve said. 

 

\---

 

Sure enough, Tony was able to use the spare arc reactor from the suit to power the house. The lights were turned on in the living room, and the bedroom where Clint had moved Natasha. Bruce was sitting beside the archer at the moment rebinding Natasha's head. The rest of the team stood in the doorway watching, waiting for Bruce to tell them how she was doing. 

When he was finished re-bandaging her head he sighed, looking to the depleted medical supplies.

'' I'll have to make a run to a drug store. That was the last in the emergency kit bandage wise.'' Bruce said. 

'' How's she doing?'' Steve asked. 

'' Her head appears to be just fine. There was no more blood then what I expected to see, so that's a good sign.'' Bruce explained. 

'' Do you think she will wake soon?'' Thor asked, worry in his tone.

'' I think so.'' Bruce said. '' It's just a matter of time.'' He stated.

'' That's whats worrying me.'' Steve said. '' I thought for sure she would wake up by now.'' He stated. 

'' Head injuries are different for everyone.'' Bruce said. '' It's possible she's sleeping it off. For all we know she has woken up, but we just didn't notice because she did not open her eyes.'' He explained. 

'' You did mention that she had turned onto her side in the jet.'' Tony commented, turning to face Clint. 

'' She had, so I figure she had woken up if even for just a few seconds.'' Clint said. 

'' And that's a good sign, so for now we just let her sleep. If she doesn't wake up by this time tomorrow, that's when we need to worry.'' Bruce explained. He turned to face Clint. '' Were you going to stay with her?'' Bruce asked. 

'' As if you even have to ask.'' Clint commented as he walked over to where Natasha was laying. '' You guys go get some rest. I'll keep an eye on her.'' He stated. 

'' Come get us when she wakes up.'' Steve said. 

'' I will, don't worry.'' Clint assured. 

With those words the team began to filter away to find a place to sleep. 

All, except for Tony.

Clint turned to find him still standing in the doorway. There was no missing the worry in his face. 

'' You alright Stark?'' Clint asked. 

'' I'm just worried about Natasha.'' Tony said. 

'' She's going to be alright. You should go get some rest.'' Clint said. 

'' I just want to make sure that she's alright.'' Tony said. 

Clint could see the fire in Tony's gaze slowly fading away. What little bit of hope he had given to the engineer just hours before was fading. With nothing to keep his mind occupied, he was falling back into the rut. He was going to crash again if he did not help him. 

'' Do you want to stay with her?'' Clint asked. 

Tony only nodded, which was all Clint needed to see. He walked towards the door, resting a hand on Tony's shoulders. He noted that some of the fire, even if only a little bit, had entered his gaze once more. 

'' There's another bed in here. Get some sleep. I'll wake you up if Nat wakes up first.'' Clint said. 

'' Right.'' 

Clint lead the engineer over to where the other bed was against the wall. Once Tony laid down on the bed it did not take him long to fall asleep, turned so that he was facing Natasha. Clint was glad he was resting, given that he probably had not gotten a lot of that in the last few days. Clint moved to sit on the edge of Natasha's bed, eyes shifting between the two sleeping forms in the room. 

 

\---

 

'' So they managed to get away from us.'' 

'' Yes Sir. When they took off in the jet we lost them, but we did manage to wound one of the assassins there.''

'' That's not good enough. They ruined our lives. We need to take them out for good if we want to avenge what they did to our families.''  

'' The tech will be here in a few hours.'' The leader spoke up. '' Once its here, it will not take us long to find them.'' 

'' If we can even find one of them, then it will bring justice for me.'' One of the men said. 

'' But all of them will fall, no matter what.'' The leader said. '' Let them have tonight for themselves. Once we are prepared, we go after them.'' 

The men standing before him smiled devilishly. 

 

\---

 

Her head was pounding. 

Natasha opened her eyes to find herself in a dimly lit room. Shadows were cast on the ceiling above her head, many caused by cobwebs that hung from the ceiling. There was someone sitting close to her legs. She could tell due to the dip in what she assumed to be an old mattress. 

She groaned slightly, moving slowly to push herself up. Raising a hand to her forehead revealed the gauze that she had no doubt she would find. There was a sharp pain there, telling her that Bruce had put stitches in her. 

'' Good to see you're awake.'' 

Natasha looked strait ahead of herself to where the bed dipped down. She found Clint sitting there, a soft smile on her face. 

'' We've been worried about you Nat. You've been our for a long time now.'' Clint explained. 

'' How long?'' Natasha asked, her voice hoarse. Her throat was dry, which Clint must have noticed because he reached out to hand her a glass of water. 

'' We got out of D.C. around 2-ish. I think its past midnight now.'' Clint said. 

'' Damn.'' Natasha cursed. She glanced around her surroundings. The room she was inside of seemed rather run down, a thin layer of dust covering most surfaces she saw. 

'' We found this place to lay low until you woke up.'' Clint said. '' So it looks like we'll be moving out in the morning.'' He stated. 

'' It won't be safe to stay here for too long. We don't know how far behind us these guys are.'' Natasha said. 

There was movement to her left. Her head snapped to the side, heart racing as she searched for what had moved. She found it a moment later, and was surprised as to what it was. 

It was Tony. 

He was laying on his side on the second bed across from her. One of his arms was hanging off the side of the bed, while the other was wrapped around himself. He was mumbling in his sleep, something that she could remember him doing when she was keeping an eye on him for SHIELD. 

'' He's been worried about you since you got shot.'' Clint said. '' He saw the whole thing happen, and he keeps blaming himself for you getting hurt.'' He explained. 

'' It wasn't his fault.'' Natasha said. '' I was careless. I should've been more careful.'' She whispered. 

'' You didn't know what would be up there.'' Clint said. '' Honestly, you're lucky that you weren't killed.'' He said. 

Natasha could not tear her gaze away from the sleeping man. She knew what must have been going through his head when she was shot. 

'' Is he ok?'' Natasha asked. 

'' He was in shock when he brought you on board the jet. He wouldn't talk to us for hours, and before he fell asleep he was starting to fall back into that rut again.'' Clint explained. 

Tony called out in his sleep once again. Neither one of them were able to make out what he was saying, but Natasha could tell that he was in distress. 

Nightmares. 

'' Clint, help me up.'' Natasha said. 

'' I don't know if you should be moving just yet.'' Clint warned. 

'' Get me up.'' Natasha said, a steeliness to her voice. Clint did not argue with her any further then that. He helped her to get to a stand. She stumbled slightly, but with Clint's help she managed to get over to the bed that Tony was sleeping on. She sat on the edge of the bed, reaching out to smooth back his ruffled hair. 

 '' тишина маленький котенок Это просто мечта Вы в безопасности здесь.''

The Russian slipped from Natasha's tongue before she even thought about it. She repeated the same phrase a few times before starting into another one.

'' Мы все безопасны Нет нужды бояться.''

She continued this for a few minutes until Tony finally relaxed under her touch.

Despite her raging headache, Natasha remained beside Tony for the remainder of the night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Russian Text I used in this roughly translates to this. 
> 
> Hush Little Kitten  
> It is just a dream  
> You are safe here  
> We are all safe   
> There is no need to fear


	11. Chapter 11

When Tony woke up he was surprised to feel a hand slowly running through his hair.

He nearly jumped out of his skin at the touch, unsure of who it was. He glanced up, searching for who ever it was that was sitting with him. 

His eyes went wide when he realized that it was Natasha. 

'' I was starting to wonder when you would wake up.'' Natasha said, a smile grazing her face. 

'' How long have you been awake?'' Tony asked. He quickly sat up, looking around himself to see if anyone else was there. Clint was laying on the bed that Natasha had been in when he fell asleep, dead to the world. There was sunlight filtering in through the window just above the bed. 

'' It was a few hours ago.'' Natasha explained. '' Clint told me what happened after I got shot.'' She explained, and then her smile fell. '' You saw the whole thing?'' She asked. 

'' I thought you were dead before I could get to you.'' Tony said. '' There was so much blood when you were shot. I couldn't get it to stop.... You were bleeding out.''

'' It was a head wound Tony.'' Natasha reminded. '' A head wound always bleeds more then any other.'' She explained. Tony nodded, his gaze falling away from her. Natasha cast a sad gaze at the engineer before her. He looked so defeated, as if all the fight had left him. It broke Natasha's heart to see it. She saw Tony's right hand move to rest overtop the arc reactor, tapping at the casing in a nervous manner. His left hand was shaking where it lay beside him.

Anxiety attack, Natasha thought.

'' Tony.'' Natasha whispered.

'' There was so much blood.'' Tony whispered.

'' Tony.'' Natasha moved closer to the man, and before he could even react she was reaching out to pull him into a hug. She felt Tony go stiff under her touch, clearly ready to flee at a moments notice. '' I'm still alive Tony. If you hadn't done what ever it was you did after I was shot then I would not be alive right now. You saved my life.''

'' How? Anyone I get close to gets hurt.'' Tony whispered, his voice strained.

'' The people you are close to are in a hard line of work Tony. It comes with the package I'm afraid.'' Natasha said. '' The team is going to take hits from time to time, but what's important is that we are there fore each other when one is down.'' She explained. She tightened her hold on Tony's form, noting how he was slowly starting to relax. '' I was knocked down, and you were there to hold me up. So I'll be here to help you, because no matter what you tell yourself this is not your fault.'' She said. Natasha felt a shuddering breath escape Tony's chest as his arms slowly raised to wrap around her. His hands were still shaking, and if there was a wet spot starting to form on Natasha's shoulder she did not mention it.

'' It's alright Tony, just let it out. I'm going to be alright. All of us are going to be alright.'' Natasha said.

Tony nodded into her shoulder, taking in a shuddering breath.

Neither one of them moved for the next hour.

 

\---

 

When Steve walked in to check on Natasha he was surprised to find that she was not in the room.

In fact, the only one in the room was Clint, who was scrubbing at his eyes with fatigue. He glanced over to Steve, waving with a lazy hand.

'' What brings you here Cap?'' Clint asked.

'' Where's Natasha at?'' Steve asked, worry entering his tone.

'' She left with Tony a few minutes ago. Said something about checking on the jet.'' Clint explained. 

'' What? Natasha woke up?.... Why didn't you wake us up like you said you would?'' Steve asked.

'' She was a little tied up. Tony was having a nightmare, she refused to leave his side.'' Clint explained. '' I figured that she didn't want anyone else in the room, so I didn't bother.''

'' Nightmares?'' Steve questioned. His thoughts flew back to when they had been involved in the car crash. Tony had mentioned suffering from nightmares before they were plowed into. The look that Tony had on his face at that time was unforgettable. Despite all the walls he had put up, they were starting to crack under the pressure. Steve bet that one of his walls finally fell last night.

'' Given what he's been through, I'm not surprised.'' Clint said. He stretched his arms high above his head, a loud pop coming from his shoulder. '' I think I'm going to find something to eat.''

'' Bruce is already on that.'' Steve said. '' He left to refill the first aid kit, and said he would pick something up that was not just a protein bar from the ship.'' He explained.

'' Real food. I'll believe it when I see it.'' Clint commented.

'' Can't argue with that.'' Steve said as he walked out of the room. There was a booming voice downstairs, alerting him to Thor waking up.

'' Lady Natasha, it is good to see that you are well.'' Thor boomed.

Steve walked down the stairs to find Thor standing by the doorway. Natasha was pulled tight against his chest in a hug, to the point that Thor was actually holding her a few inches off the floor. The look on Natasha's face could have killed, but Steve could tell that she was enjoying it none the less. He heard a strangled laugh from the doorway. Looking outside revealed that the laugh belonged to Tony. The man was practically bent over himself trying to stop the laughter from escaping.

'' Thor we just got her back, you're going to break her again.'' Tony chuckled, finally righting himself.

'' I apologize. I did not mean any harm.'' Thor said, finally releasing Natasha. His hand remained on her shoulder, a fond smile on his face. '' We were all quite worried for you.'' Thor explained.

'' So I've heard.'' Natasha said.

Steve walked the rest of the way into the room, making his way over to Natasha.

'' It's good to see you awake now.'' Steve said. '' How do you feel now?'' He asked.

'' Better now that I've had some pain killers.'' Natasha said. '' Woke with a killer headache.'' She explained. Steve nodded. That would explain why both she and Tony had gone to check on the jet. '' Is Clint still out cold upstairs?'' She asked.

'' No. He's awake, barely.'' Steve explained.

'' Do we need to wake up birdbrains?'' Tony asked, glancing towards the stairs.

'' Leave him be.'' Natasha warned. '' He needs rest. After all, he's still recovering from being shot.'' She reminded.

'' We'll leave him be until Bruce gets back with breakfast and coffee.'' Steve suggested.

'' If he doesn't bring coffee back he will have hell to pay.'' Tony mumbled.

'' Your elixir of life shall come in time.'' Thor said. Tony deadpanned as he looked at the god.

'' It's coffee Thor. It's not like some sort of cure for cancer or something.'' Tony said.

'' If it were a cure for cancer then people would drink it more often then you, and that's saying something.'' Natasha said, a smile breaking out on her face. Tony scowled at her, but there was no anger in his gaze. Steve shook his head, a laugh bubbling up from his chest. 

If only it would last.

 '' Since Lady Natasha has woken, I take it we will not be staying for long.'' Thor said. 

'' Yeah. It's not safe for us to stay in one place.'' Steve said. '' Once Bruce gets back we need to move, so we should get the jet started up.'' 

'' I can take care of that.'' Tony said. 

'' Then get to it.'' Steve said. '' We need to be in the air as soon as possible if we want to stay ahead of the enemy.'' He stated. Tony nodded before walking back out the door to head towards the camouflaged jet. 

'' I wish to acompany friend Stark.'' Thor said. '' I worry if something were to happen.'' 

'' I don't blame you.'' Steve said. '' After all, his suits reactor is still in the basement.'' Which meant that the suit was practically a paper weight, not good for much more. '' Stay with him. He's going to need help if, god forbid, anything happens.'' Steve explained. 

'' I shall.'' Thor said. He raised his hand, and in seconds Mjolnir came flying through the house to rest in his hand. '' Take care of Lady Natasha.'' Thor said, and then he stepped out the door. 

'' I could get used to the name.'' Natasha mumbled, a smirk on her face. 

'' I don't know if I'll ever get used to how he talks.'' Steve grumbled. '' We better go make sure that Barton's alive. He sleeps like the dead after all.'' Steve said. 

'' Agreed.'' Natasha said, moving to walk back up the stairs. Steve followed close behind, casting one last glance outside the doorway. He saw the hatch for the jet fall to let Tony and Thor inside, and when it raised it vanished. Steve turned his back on them, and followed Natasha up to the seconds floor.

 

\---

 

'' Is this all for you sir?'' The cashier asked. 

'' Yes Ma'am.'' Bruce said, already reaching for his wallet to pay for the food and firs-aid supplies. It had not taken him long to find what he needed once he found a convenience store. He managed to find plenty of supplies to restock their first aid kit, and enough food for everyone to eat breakfast, and that was saying something when you had a demi god on the team, and a super soldier with a fast metabolism. 

He hoped that the others were doing ok. The convenience store was only about a quarter mile away from where they were staying. The town was pretty small, so Bruce was surprised that he was able to find what he did. He just hoped that it would be enough for the team. 

'' So I've never seen your face around here. You traveling through?'' She asked him as she began to bag the items. 

'' Yeah. I'm with some good friends of mine.'' Bruce said. '' We're traveling across the country on a road trip.'' He lied. 

'' Sounds like fun. I've always wanted my husband to take me on one, but we can't afford it right now.'' She said, pushing the bags towards him. '' Oh well, maybe one of these days..... Alright sir, your total today is $54.78.'' She explained. Bruce was quick to hand over the cash. '' Hope you have fun on your trip.'' She said. 

'' Will do.'' Bruce said, grabbing the bags before leaving the store. 

He pulled the ball cap he had found down to hide his face. While he was sure that no one would even recognize him, he had to play it safe. The last thing he needed was to give his team away. If someone recognized him then they were screwed. That was the whole reason that he decided to be the one to go out. Both Steve and Thor were to recognizable to the public eye. Clint was still recovering from when he had been shot, so Bruce did not want him going out. Despite Tony being in a better mood since their escape from D.C. Bruce did not want him going both for that, and the fact that he was easily recognizable as well. 

So in the end, it had fallen on his shoulders to do the run. 

Bruce turned at the end of the street, and continued to follow what used to be a gravel road towards where the others were waiting. He continued along for a time, until the house was finally in view. 

What he was not expecting was to hear wheels squealing behind him. 

Bruce turned, and watched in horror as two armored vehicles came practically out of nowhere, racing towards the house. Horror flooded Bruces veins as he turned, dropping the bags of supplies in favor of running. 

'' GUYS GET OUT OF HERE!'' Bruce shouted as he ran. He did not get far before there was something thrown at him. It wrapped around his legs, and before he could even scream he was sent crashing to the ground. His head collided with the ground, and stars danced in his vision. The other guy was clawing his way to the surface. A glance down at his hands revealed the green tint he was starting to take on. 

'' Not now. God, please, not now.'' Bruce begged, trying to take a calming breath to force the other guy back. He pushed himself up enough to be able to see what had grabbed him. It was a trip wire, wrapped tight around his legs, rendering him immobile. 

He looked back up to find two men approaching from one of the vans, both of them dressed in old body armor like what the military uses. One of them was carrying a gun, while the other had a wicked looking knife in his hand. When they got close enough to him he noted how their eyes were darting between him and the house where the rest of the team was waiting. 

'' Where's the rest of your team?'' The man with the gun asked. 

'' I don't know what you're talking about.'' Bruce said. 

'' Don't lie to me.'' The man with the knife threatened. He knelt beside Bruce, holding the blade out threateningly. '' I know who you are, and you are the green guy himself. You're the one who was responsible for my little girls death during New York.'' He stated. 

'' What?'' Horror ran through Bruce's veins. 

'' Where is the rest of your team?'' He demanded. 

'' Not here.'' Bruce said. 

'' We will find them.'' The man said. 

'' You don't want to make me angry.'' Bruce warned, his skin already starting to change color. However, it was not long before there was a needle plunging into his neck. Suddenly the rage was gone, and the other guy fell silent as his mind began to wander. 

'' You'll sleep for awhile.'' He said. 

Bruce fell back against the ground, his head turned towards where the jet was resting. The last thing he saw was the back hatch open up just enough for two heads to poke out. 

Then everything was black.


	12. Chapter 12

When the scream rang out both Thor and Tony turned towards the closed hatch of the ship.

'' What was that?'' Thor asked.

'' That sounded like Bruce.'' Tony said. He pushed out of the pilots seat, leaning forward to look out the window. He caught sight of Bruce, who was running towards the house.

'' Do you see him?'' Thor asked.

'' Yeah.'' Tony whispered. '' Something's wrong.'' He stated. Before he could move towards the hatch he heard the sound of squealing wheels. He turned back to the window in time to find two large back cars driving towards the house. His breath caught in his chest as he watched one of them shoot something towards where Bruce had been running, and then the screaming fell silent. He watched for another minute or so as two men climbed out of the car. One of them was carrying a gun, while the other was holding a wicked looking knife.

'' Oh god, he's going to kill Bruce.'' Tony whispered as he ran from the window. He turned towards the hatch, where Thor was already standing with it halfway open. The god was watching through the small opening, unmoving, at the scene taking place. By the time that Tony reached him he watched as one of the men plunged a needle into Bruce's neck, and he was rendered unconscious.

'' Search the house. I want all of them in custody.'' He heard one of the men say.

'' We are in trouble.'' Thor mumbled.

'' You could say that.'' Tony said. '' The others are still inside there..... We need to get them out.'' He stated.

'' Friend Stark, your power cell thingy is still in the belly of the house. You cannot run your suit without it.'' Thor reminded.

'' I can, but its not ideal.'' Tony said. He glanced back to the suit where it was standing across the jet. '' We need a distraction. Steve and Clint can't fight them off alone, and there's no way that Natasha can fight in her current state.'' He said.

'' I can provide a distraction Friend Stark. You go and aid our friends.'' Thor said.

'' Think you can handle them?'' Tony asked.

'' They will fall at my hands.'' Thor said. His hand shot up, and Mjolnir came flying across the room to rest in his hand. '' Go.'' Thor said, and then he lowered the hatch the rest of the way. As Thor ran out of the jet Tony turned towards the Iron Man suit. He did not want to have to use it like this, but he did not have a choice. This was going to come down to a fight, and he would rather have the suit then not.

 

\---

 

Steve's head shot up when he heard Bruce's shouts from outside.

'' What was that?'' Clint asked from where he sat with Natasha. The assassins had been playing a game of cards with an old deck they had found tucked away in a cabinet. Now their game lay forgotten, their attention turned to the captain.

'' That sounded like Bruce.'' Steve said. '' Something's wrong.'' He whispered. He rushed towards the door, looking outside to see what was going on. What he saw had his eyes shooting wide open in horror.

How had they been found so fast?

Steve saw Bruce sprawled on the ground, where two men were looming over him. There was movement from further away, revealed to be the hatch for the jet dropping just enough for two heads to pear out.

'' Oh god.'' Steve whispered.

Clint was at his side in seconds, eyes wide in horror as he gazed out the window.

'' Dammit, how the hell did they find us so fast?'' Clint seethed. The archer turned, rushing back to where he had left Natasha sitting.

'' We need to get out of here.'' Steve said.

'' How? There's only one door to this place.'' Clint reminded as he helped Natasha stand up.

Steve turned, watching as more men began to come out of the black cars to approach the house.

'' We're screwed.'' Steve mumbled. '' We need to get out of here, now.'' Steve turned, rushing towards where Clint and Nat were standing. '' Upstairs. We may have to jump for it.''

'' I don't know if Nat can take that right now.'' Clint reminded, to which he got an elbow to the gut.

'' I am not that fragile Barton.'' Natasha reminded.

'' We have to try something, or we will die here.'' Steve reminded. '' Let's go.''

The three of them rushed to the second floor. They stopped only once to look outside when they heard a roar of anger. When they looked they were surprised to find that Thor was the one fighting the men who were trying to enter the house.

Steve turned his attention away from the window, focused on getting his teammates to safety.

 

\---

 

Tony burst through the front door to the house with the Iron Man armor.

'' Cap!?'' Tony called out. '' Where are you Capsicle?'' Tony asked.

There was a beat of silence, and then footsteps filled his ears. Tony turned to the staircase, hand raised and ready to fire if it was not Steve or Clint.

He was relieved in the end to see that it was Clint. The archer had his quiver of arrows thrown over his shoulder, bow in hand and ready to fight.

'' Where Nat and Cap?'' Tony asked.

'' Upstairs. Steve's got her.'' Clint explained. '' We saw the men pull up outside. Is Thor still holding his own?'' Clint asked.

'' As well as can be expected.'' Tony said.

'' Do you have a plan?'' Clint asked. '' Because aside from taking them out here and now we're done for.'' He stated.

'' I do have one, but you're not going to like it.'' Tony said.

'' What do you mean?'' Clint asked.

'' The arc reactor downstairs. If I short circuit it just right it will blow up their transports, and then we just have to take them out.''

'' That's your plan? Are you crazy Stark?'' Clint asked. '' Your going to get yourself killed.'' He stated.

'' Do you have a better plan?'' Tony asked. '' Because if you do then I'm all ears.'' He said. Clint fell silent at that.

'' I'm going to need your help on this one bird brains. Make sure that none of them get in here until I get back here with the reactor, got it.'' Tony said.

'' I'll see what I can do.'' Clint said, already reaching for an arrow. He turned to face the door. '' Get going before someone finds out what we're up to.'' Clint said.

'' Don't have to tell me twice.'' Tony said, already moving to head towards the basement. He made his way down to where he and Bruce had left the reactor to power the house. The blue glow made it easy to find in the darkness.

'' Alright.... This better not explode.'' Tony mumbled. The suit opened, releasing him so that he could work on disconnecting the reactor.

 

\---

 

'' I think we have an opening.'' Steve said. '' It looks like we're going to have to jump.'' He said.

'' I don't see any other way.'' Natasha said.

'' Me neither.'' Steve said. He took another glance down to the ground bellow. There were men starting to get into the house. Clint was doing his best to fight them off, but he would be overpowered before long. Steve had to get down there, but he needed to get Natasha out first. '' We may have to jump.'' Steve stated. '' It's looking like the only way out.'' 

'' I don't like the sound of that.'' Natasha mumbled. 

'' Just trust me.'' Steve said. He backed away from the window, pulling his shield off his back. With a quick strike the glass shattered outwards, shards raining down on the enemies below. '' Alright, climb on my back.'' Steve said. Natasha was quick to comply, wrapping her arms around his neck, and locking her legs around his waist in some form of a piggyback ride. He turned towards the window. '' Hold on tight.'' Was the only warning Steve gave before he was jumping out of the window. 

The fall was not a long one. However, it did stun him slightly once he landed. He nearly stumbled, having to catch his balance. 

'' You ok?'' Steve asked. 

'' Yeah.'' Natasha said in a shaky voice. 

'' Good. Don't let go yet.'' Steve said, and then he was dashing for the jet. He wanted to get Natasha inside and situated before he came running back out to help the others. He heard Thor fighting his best to try and keep the enemies away from him, but a few managed to slip past. A quick blow from his shield had them sprawled on the ground behind him as he continued to run. He managed to reach the jet in under a minute, where he quickly deposited Natasha on one of the benches lining the wall. 

'' Stay here.'' Steve ordered. 

'' You don't have to tell me twice.'' Natasha stated. '' Get out there before Barton gets himself killed.'' She said, pointing to the hatch. Steve nodded in her direction before rushing towards the exit, heading towards the battle. 

 

\---

 

 A part of Clint felt relieved when he saw Steve carrying Natasha to the jet. 

Another part of him was stuck in the battle at hand, focusing on keeping these men out of the house while Tony was still trying to get the reactor out. 

There were so many of them. It was like they were just coming out of nowhere.

Then it dawned on him. 

Tony was the only one left in the house. With the suit on, he may be able to survive the blast. 

Clint hated the idea, but it may give them the chance they needed to get out of here.

'' TONY!'' Clint shouted. '' BLOW THIS PLACE SKY HIGH!'' 

Something struck Clint in the back hard enough to send him sprawling on the ground. His bow fell from his grip, clattering against the porch as men began to swarm around him. A few ran into the house. 

'' TONY NOW!'' Clint shouted. A second later he felt a hand clasp over his mouth, and then he was being picked up off the ground. 

'' Get him in the car now!'' Someone snapped. 

Clint fought against the hold they had on him. He did not get far before there was a sharp prick in his neck, and then everything began to fade to black. 

 

\---

 

'' Tony!'' 

Tony spun to face the door out of the basement when he heard Clint scream his name. He had nearly disconnected the reactor now, just a few wires left to take care of. 

'' Blow this place sky high!''

He could hear the archer struggling to fight up there. Clearly they were outnumbered, and they were taking a hard beating. Suddenly he heard Clint cry out in pain, and then footsteps were overhead. 

'' Tony now!'' 

'' This isn't good.'' Tony whispered. He looked over to the suit standing behind him. He knew exactly what Clint was asking him to do, and it was suicide. He knew the power that the arc reactor held. If he let it blow in here then the whole house would come down on him, and who ever else was inside of here. 

Again, suicide. 

He heard footsteps just above his head. That was all he had to hear to make up his mind. 

'' Here goes nothing.'' Tony whispered. He let go of the arc reactor, stepping back into the Iron Man suit so it would wrap around him. Once he was safely encased he reached out once more for the reactor. All he needed to do was short circuit it, which was easy enough to do inside the suit. However, it left him no time to get away, so he would literally be holding the bomb when it went off. His biggest fear was losing his arm in this mess, or worse, his life. However, if it meant saving his team then he would gladly do it. It was for the good of the team. 

'' THERE HE IS!'' Someone shouted from the doorway. Tony turned to find three armed men standing in the door way. They were all ready to fire. '' TAKE HIM DOWN NOW!'' They shouted. 

'' Well, you won't be getting very far.'' Tony said. '' Let's see if you bastards can survive this.'' He said, holding up the reactor. He saw horror flash in their eyes as he short circuited the devise. 

Everything went white.

 

\---

 

Thor and Steve both were sent flying backwards as the house exploded. Smoke billowed up from the remains of the collapsed building, fire mixing with the sky. The people who had managed to survive the blast were already running away, some carrying their fallen comrades. The cars sped away before they could say anything.

Steve sat up, horror written across his face as he gazed at the building.

'' Oh god.'' He whispered. 

Clint and Tony had still been close when the bomb went off. 

'' Our comrades were close.'' Thor said, pushing to a stand. '' Friend Rogers, return to the jet. Stay with Lady Natasha. I shall search for the others.'' He said. 

'' Be careful.'' Steve said, throwing his shield over his shoulders before running to the jet. Thor turned his attention to searching for the others. 

He searched all over the place. He searched high and low through the remains, but the only traces he found of his comrades was two items. 

He found Clint's quiver and bow laying prone under the rubble, and the faceplate from the Iron Man mask which had been ripped off in the blast. 

Nothing else. 

When Thor returned to the jet he found Steve and Natasha facing the hatch, both sporting looks of worry. 

'' What happened?'' Natasha asked. 

'' Did you find them?'' Steve asked. 

'' No.'' Thor said. '' My friends, I do believe that they have been taken.'' 

The silence that fell was deafening.


	13. Chapter 13

'' How could we have let this happen?'' Steve asked. He was pacing back and forth across the jet, mind flying everywhere at once. Somehow, in the span of time it had taken both himself and Thor to get back up, these men had managed to get their hands on both Tony and Clint, and ran. Steve knew that Bruce had already been grabbed, there was nothing they could have done to get him back without getting into that car.

Now the team of six was down to three.

'' I was not watching when the explosion happened.'' Natasha reminded. '' I hunkered down when I heard Clint shouting because I had a feeling as to what he was planning. When I got back up you were racing back here Steve.'' She explained.

'' It could be possible that we were rendered unconscious by the blast.'' Thor suggested. '' I do not see any other way that these men would have had time to take our comrades.'' He said.

'' It's the only way that I see it.'' Steve said. '' I could've sworn I didn't pass out, but anything's possible.'' He mumbled.

'' We need to find them.'' Natasha whispered. '' Somehow they managed to stay a step ahead of us each time. They knew where you and Stark were going to be when you were in the car crash.'' Natasha stated, turning to Steve. '' They knew when you returned to the tower, and they knew that Clint and I were coming when they set that house to blow. They've been a step ahead this entire time because they know our every move, and now we're paying for it.'' She whispered.

'' My friends, could it be possible that they have been tracking us?'' Thor asked.

Natasha and Steve's heads whipped around so fast that Thor was surprised they did not hurt themselves.

'' Could they have bugged the jet.'' Steve said. '' It would explain how we were found so fast.'' He whispered.

'' We need to find the bug.'' Natasha said. '' Now.''

 

\---

 

Bruce's head snapped up to the sound of saws whirring off to his right.

'' I'm telling you, it's not coming off.'' Someone said. '' This damn things not making a dent in it.'' He added. Bruce saw the man throw the saw across the room, where it shattered against the wall.

'' We need something more heavy duty then this damn thing.'' He stated with an angry tone.

'' That was the heavy duty equipment you just destroyed.'' The second man said. '' I don't care how we do this, but we have to get this armor off him if we have a chance in selling it off.

Armor?

 Bruce got the guts up to look at what it was these men were working on.

He was horrified to realize that it was Tony's suit they had been sawing into, and Tony was still inside of it. The faceplate for the helmet was missing, revealing that Tony was unconscious. He was hanging from two hooks attached to the ceiling, and hooked under his armpits. He was swinging back and forth slightly from where these men had been using the saw on him. One of the men eventually reached out and steadied him until he was still.

'' We may need to use the torch to get it off him.'' One of the men suggested. '' Break the joints enough that we can just slip his arms and legs through maybe.'' He added.

'' We need him one piece for the boss, not broken and burned.'' Another stated in an angry tone. He turned to face the man who had steadied Tony. '' Keep looking for a fail safe or something that we can use to release him. I'm sure he's got one on here somewhere.'' He stated.

Bruce knew exactly where that thing was. It was right under where the reactor was. There was a concealed panel there for emergencies when the team needed to get the suit of Tony if he was taken out.

He could not let them figure out where it was.

However, he was not fast enough to hide that he was awake.

In seconds the man who had been standing beside Tony was in front of him. There was a look of surprise on his face as he looked Bruce up and down.

'' I'm surprised. Usually those drugs keep someone out for days. It's only been a few hours.'' He stated.

'' Well, I'm no ordinary guy now am I?'' Bruce shot back. He knew the hulk had a part in why the drugs wore off so fast.

'' That would be true.'' He stated. '' You are no ordinary man, and maybe the only one who can help us right now.'' He stated.

'' I don't know what the hell you are talking about.'' Bruce said, a warning sound to his tone. '' You better back off before the other guy comes out for a visit.''

'' I don't think that will be happening.'' The man said. He turned to gaze up at something to Bruce's right. Bruce followed the mans gaze, and found that it was an IV pump of sorts, one meant for administering morphine. Bruce felt his hopes fall at the sight of that. '' If I see even the slightest sign that you will change, then all I have to do is press the button, and you will be out like a light. I seriously doubt the hulk can eve surpass these drugs we concocted just for you.'' He stated.

'' You bastard.'' Bruce seethed. He knew that his eyes went green for a split second, but he forced the hulk back. He needed to stay awake while he was here if he were to keep Tony alive and inside the suit.

The man glanced behind himself to where Tony was hanging, and then back to Bruce with a grin.

'' I see you found our other guest.'' He said. He stepped away from Bruce to approach him. '' We found him shortly after he blew that house sky high, taking out at least five of my men. Your archer guy was there as well, and he should be joining us pretty soon.'' He explained.

'' What did you do to Clint?'' Bruce demanded.

'' He tried to escape shortly before you woke up. Let's just say that he's getting what's coming to him.'' He stated. Bruce watched as he circled around Tony, eyeing the Iron Man armor up and down. '' Tell me Doctor Banner. Do you know how this armor works?'' He asked.

Bruce remained silent.

'' You and Stark became close shortly after the events in New York from what I have heard. As far as I'm concerned, you are the only one he would be willing to share the secrets of the armor with.'' He said. '' The only thing my friends managed to pry off the suit was the face plate, and only because it was nearly ripped off by the blast that killed my men.'' He explained.

'' Even if I knew anything I wouldn't tell you any of it.'' Bruce stated. '' So you may as well kill me.'' He stated.

'' No. That's not why you are here.'' He stated. '' You see, you and your team have been a thorn in my side ever since New York. You so called Avengers stole the one thing I could not live without. The one thing that would tear me apart if I had been there when it happened.''

'' I don't know what you are talking about.'' Bruce stated.

'' You should.'' The mans face turned stone cold, his gaze boring right through him. '' Because of you my wife and little girl died.'' He stated. '' All of my men lost someone important to them in that battle. Some they lost their brothers or sisters, some children and parents, and others lost their wives and husbands. We all lost something because you were not able to save the city.''

'' If we did not save the city then how come more people aren't dead?'' Bruce asked.

'' Because this guy was crazy enough to fly a nuke into that portal. I bet you never would have won if he had not done that. Hell, if he had done it sooner, then maybe we would not be here.'' He stated. '' You took everything from me, and now we want revenge.'' He stated.

There was the sound of a creaking door to his right. Bruce turned, eyes wide in horror when he caught sight of the bleeding form being dragged across the floor.

It was Clint.

The two men supporting him dragged him towards the chains hanging on the wall beside where Bruce was sitting. They both chained Clint there, Bruce watching as his head lulled to the side. There was blood covering one half of his face, cuts and bruises littering his exposed skin.

'' Hope this serves as a lesson for what will happen if you don't listen to us.'' He said. '' He didn't even get it that bad.'' He added.

This sent a shiver down Bruce's spine.

The only thing that calmed Bruce's racing heart beat was the sight of Clint's chest rising and falling. Sometimes his chest would hitch in pain, revealing that he had broken ribs.

'' You're going to pay for this.'' Bruce seethed.

'' I don't think we will.'' He stated. '' Now, back to our topic. How do I get this suit off of Stark?'' The man asked, moving closer to where Tony was hanging.

'' I told you already. I don't know how, and even if I did I would never tell you.'' Bruce said.

'' I don't believe that for a second.'' He said, rage in his tone. '' Surly he told you a way to open the suit if he were taken down in battle.''

'' He never told us of any such thing, so just give it up already. You're not getting him out of the Iron Man suit.'' Bruce said.

'' I will, one way or another.'' He stated. He turned so that his back was to Bruce. '' We could use the torch to tear it apart, but of course that does not guarantee that he will survive the extraction. My comrade suggested another brutal way to do so, but it would likely kill him as well. We can't have that happening.''

Bruce felt sick.

He watched as the man moved towards the table littered with tools from where they had been trying to free Tony. Bruce watched as he picked up a rather wicked looking knife, along with a band saw.

'' You really think that's going to work?'' Bruce asked. '' Your high powered saw didn't even put a dent in the armor. You're out of options.'' He stated.

'' Am I?'' The man asked, dropping the band saw in turn for another weapon. This one, to Bruce's horror, was a gun.

'' I'm sure after that blast there is more then one weak spot in Stark's armor.'' He stated. Bruce noticed that he was eyeing where the reactor rested under the glass casing. The casing protecting it had cracked from the blast, but it appeared to still be in one piece. He had remembered Tony explaining to him how it was practically invulnerable, but if it managed to crack then it was no different then any ordinary glass. '' I wonder which one would destroy his reactor faster. The knife, or the gun.'' He mumbled.

'' Don't you lay a finger on him.'' Bruce seethed.

The man ignored him, turning to face his partner.

'' Which one do you think?'' He asked.

'' Why not use both. Give me that knife.'' The other man said, already reaching for the weapon.

'' Leave him alone. Don't hurt him.'' Bruce begged. He thrashed against the bindings holding him in place. He watched as the man who took the knife moved to stand closer to Tony. He was holding the knife far to close to comfort to his face. The man with the gun moved to point it at the arc reactor.

'' No, you'll kill him!'' Bruce shouted. '' Stop this!''

'' If you want to save him then give us the information we need.'' The man with the gun said. '' Tell us how to get the suit off of him, and we won't kill him right here.'' He stated.

'' I told you already. I don't know.'' Bruce said. '' Please stop this.'' He begged.

The man with the gun turned to the one with the knife. There was a sadistic grin on his face.

'' Show him what we will do.'' He stated.

The man with the knife grinned sadistically as he moved the knife faster then Bruce could shout. In a split second he took the knife, and sliced deep into Tony's forehead over his left eye. Blood began to flow from the wound, coating the left side of Tony's face.

Bruce jerked against the bindings in rage, his eyes flashing green.

'' You're a sick bastard.'' Bruce seethed, voice dipping as the hulk fought to free himself.

'' Tell me how to get the suit off, or the next attack will be to kill.'' He warned. The man with the gun pressed the barrel of the gun directly against the glass covering the reactor.

'' You have three seconds Banner.'' He stated. '' It's your choice, save his life, or have his blood on your hands.'' He said.

'' One.''

'' I told you, I know nothing!'' Bruce shouted.

'' Two.''

'' You're mad!''

'' Three.''

'' STOP!''

The man with the gun froze, turning to face Bruce with a grin. Bruce was hunched over himself, face turned down towards the ground.

'' I'll help you.'' Bruce said.

'' I thought you would see it our way.'' He said. He placed the gun down. '' How do we release him?'' He asked.

'' There is a hidden hatch just under the glass covering the reactor. Lift it up, and there's a switch there that you have to twist. It should release the suit.'' Bruce said. He kept his gaze to the floor as he heard the two men start searching for the hatch. He did not look up until he heard the suit start to whir to life long enough to release Tony. One of the men caught Tony when he tumbled out of the suit. The two men grinned as they moved to drag Tony over to where Bruce was at. There were chains on Bruce's other side, which the men quickly used to make sure that Tony could not get away. Bruce watched as the engineer slumped forward in the chains, head lulling against his chest.

'' Take the armor. We can probably sell it off to someone for a pretty penny.'' He stated as the two men walked back to where the armor was hanging. Before they left they turned to face Bruce.

'' Thank you for helping us.'' One of them said. '' We will remember this when it comes time to take revenge.'' He stated.

Bruce ducked his head in shame.


	14. Chapter 14

Finally, after nearly an hour of searching, Steve managed to find the bug.

'' Are you sure that this is the recording device?'' Thor asked, staring at the small piece of tech Steve held in his hands. '' It looks a little to small to be the item.'' He stated.

'' This is it.'' Steve stated. '' Natasha, wanna make sure?'' Steve asked. Natasha approached Steve's side, glancing down at it. A smile spread across her face at the sight of the tech in his hands.

'' Yep. It's a bug alright.'' Natasha said, snatching it from Steve. '' A one way line to the bastards who've been trying to kill us the last few days.''

'' The agents who nearly kidnapped Friend Stark and I, do you think they did this?'' Thor asked.

'' If it wasn't them then someone else in SHIELD is working for these men.'' Steve said.

'' I might be able to get something off this. Maybe it could lead us straight to the others.'' Natasha said.

'' How long do you think that will take?'' Steve asked.

'' An hour, maybe two.'' Natasha said. '' But we can't stay here.'' She handed the tech off to Steve. '' Don't break that, what ever you do. I'm going to get us somewhere safe.'' She stated.

'' Where could safe be while this thing is with us?'' Steve mumbled, glancing down to the object in his hands.

'' One place is not safe, so we will just have to keep moving.'' Natasha explained. '' JARVIS can keep us in the air for long enough that I can decode that, and take us straight to where they are.'' She explained.

'' Do it.'' Thor said. '' I wish to rescue our friends before anymore harm may befall them.'' He stated.

'' You and me both Thor.'' Steve said. He glanced down to the item resting in his hand. It was not very big, maybe the size of a half dollar coin. there were a few wires wrapped around it, each one of them a different color. It was hard for Steve to comprehend what this item was. He knew what it could do, but given its size it was hard for him to believe.

This little machine had gotten half of the Avengers kidnapped.

How could they have let this happen?

Surly JARVIS could have figure out where it was. After all, he did constant scans of the jet to make sure they were safe, so how did they miss it.

'' We should have known.'' Steve mumbled. '' There's no way we should have been able to escape SHIELD with a jet like that.''

'' We escaped with casualties, but it would have been simple for them to take out the rest of us.'' Thor said.

'' They could have easily finished me off while Tony was bringing me to the jet.'' Natasha said. '' Hell, a shot at one of his repulsors would have had us both down and dead.'' She mumbled, the reality of the situation setting in.

'' You and friend Stark are lucky to be alive.'' Thor stated.

 '' We're lucky because they let us get away. They knew exactly where we were going. It was no use. They would have found us no matter what.'' Natasha stated.

'' And now we're paying for it.'' Steve mumbled. '' We need to find the others, before anything can happen to them.''

'' I am afraid that it may be too late.'' Thor said. '' These men want to kill us. They may already be dead.'' He said, sadness in his tone.

'' I don't want to think about that.'' Steve said. '' As far as I'm concerned, they are alive.'' He stated. '' We just need to find them before something can happen to them.''

'' Those guys are up against the hulk.'' Natasha commented. '' Clint can break out of almost anywhere with just a hair pin or paper clip. He's showed me. Then there's Tony. I'm sure if he could get his hands on any tech then those guys are toast.''

'' I just hope you're right about that.'' Steve said.

 

\---

 

Clint woke to utter agony in his head and chest.

He groaned, blinking a few times to try and clear his vision. Something had dripped into his left eye, making it hard to see. A minute later, he realized that it was his own blood.

'' Clint? You with us?''

Clint turned his attention towards his left. He found a figure sitting there. It took him much longer then he was willing to admit to figure out who it was. Eventually, his vision cleared enough to reveal that it was Bruce.

'' Bruce?'' Clint questioned, hoping that he was not wrong.

'' Yeah.'' Bruce answered. '' You ok?'' He asked.

'' My head's killing me.'' Clint said. He pulled against the chains keeping his arms against the wall, above his head. They would not budge. He shifted so that he was sitting up more, his chest protesting the movement. '' I think they broke a few ribs.'' He stated through clenched teeth.

'' Better then being dead.'' Bruce said.

'' Is anyone else from the team here?'' Clint asked.

'' Tony.'' Bruce stated. Clint leaned forward enough to eye the engineer. He was slumped forward, chained to the wall in the same way the rest of them were. He was not awake, and what worried Clint was the amount of blood on his face. '' They threatened to kill him if I didn't tell them how to get the suit off. They're the ones that cut him.'' Bruce said.

'' Was he awake?'' Clint asked.

'' No. He must have been knocked out.'' Bruce said.

'' The blast.'' Clint commented. '' I remember hearing the blast before everything went dark. He must have been right beside it.'' He stated.

'' If so, then he's lucky to be alive.'' Bruce said. '' That blast should have killed him.'' He stated

'' I told him to blow it up. There was no other way.'' Clint said. '' They would have gotten us all if he hadn't.'' He stated.

'' I hope the others are ok.'' Bruce commented. '' I know I saw Thor and Tony both on the jet before they drugged me. Of course Tony's right here, but I don't know about Thor.''

'' Don't forget about Nat and Cap.'' Clint commented.

'' They were both in the house.'' Bruce whispered in horror.

'' Steve got her out to the jet shortly before the blast. I'm sure she is ok.'' Clint stated. '' As for Steve and Thor, that's another story. They were fighting off the men with me when the blast went off.'' He explained. Clint leaned his head back against the wall, eyes sliding shut. His head was pounding, like someone was using a jackhammer against his brain. It felt ready to explode at a moments notice. He wanted to rip it off his shoulders, but then he would be dead.

'' Think you can make it?'' Bruce asked. Clint rolled his head to the side, forcing his eyes to open. Bruce was watching him with concern in his gaze. '' You look really pale.'' He said.

'' Not sure.'' He admitted. '' I'm pretty sure I've got a concussion worse then Nat's considering how bad my head hurts.'' He stated. He lifted his head so that it was not leaning against his shoulder, eyes half lidded. '' I just want the pain to stop. It's unbearable.'' He stated.

'' Just what did they do to you?'' Bruce asked.

'' I managed to break free of my bonds, so I ran. Because of it when they finally caught me they decided to beat my mistakes into me. I know they hit me in the head a good deal, but they must have kept going even after I passed out.'' He stated. '' Don't think I'll be trying that again. I'd rather like to keep my life, and not die.'' He said, less bite to his tone.

'' Try not to pass out on me.'' Bruce said. '' If it's that bad you could have a seizure.'' He added, worry in his tone..

'' Wouldn't be the first time.'' Clint mumbled.

'' I don't like the sound of that.'' Bruce mumbled.

'' You would not believe the amount of times I've gotten a concussion bad enough to cause one. It's a part of this line of work I guess.'' Clint stated. Bruce really did not like the sound of that.

A few minutes passed in silence between the two conscious team members.

'' What do you think they're going to do to us?'' Bruce asked.

'' Hard to say.'' Clint admitted. '' They might torture us, sell us off to enemies.... Hell, they may just outright kill us.'' He explained.

'' I've already tried that with the Hulk. I'm sure it would not go very well for them.'' Bruce said.

'' Then lets count on death, because maybe the other guy can get us out of this mess.'' Clint said with a laugh.

'' He is angry enough. None of these guys would ever make it out.'' Bruce said, a smile spreading on his face. It was rare that he was ever ok with the other guy clawing to escape. In this situation, they really needed him, but as those men had said, if he showed the slightest sign of changing then he would be put under once more.

'' Would he really help us escape?'' Clint asked.

'' Maybe. After all, he did help during New York, and he saved Tony's life after he flew that nuke into the wormhole. If the Hulk didn't care, he would have let Tony fall to his death, and ran once the battle was over.'' He explained.

Silence fell once more.

 

\---

 

 Natasha brushed a stray strand of hair out of her eyes as she leaned closer to the bug, carefully detaching one of the yellow wires to attach it to the Stark pad that she had found tucked away. Steve and Thor both were hovering just behind her, staying completely silent as they watched her work.

The yellow wire did not want to give way at first.

'' Come on little bastard. Move already.'' Natasha mumbled under her breath. She tugged a little harder on the wire, and it finally gave way. '' Thank you.'' She mumbled, moving to attach it to the port on the Stark pad.

'' Where did you learn to do this kind of stuff?'' Steve asked as she backed away.

'' SHIELD, and Tony taught me a few tricks for when he wasn't around to do this kind of stuff.'' Natasha explained. '' Looks like it actually came in handy.'' She stated.

'' Now what?'' Thor asked.

'' There's a program that I need to run. It should track everywhere that this tracker has been within the last few days. Hopefully, we will see something that will lead us straight to them.'' She stated.

'' And you're sure it's going to work.'' Steve asked. '' Because if it doesn't, then we may never find the others.''

'' We have to try something. JARVIS can't track the Iron Man suit while its offline, and as far as we know we don't know who these guys are trying to kill us. If we don't find something here, then I don't want to even think about what will happen.'' She stated. She picked up the tablet, tapping on a few things before swiping everything away to reveal a map. '' Alright, show me what you've got.'' Natasha mumbled, pressing a button at the bottom of the screen.

A few minutes passed, and nothing happened.

'' Nothing is happening.'' Thor said, worry in his tone.

'' It takes time Thor, just be patient.'' Natasha said. '' I've seen other agents do this many times. It can take up to a half hour for even one place to show up, just give it time.'' She said.

'' I cannot just sit aside while my friends are out there fighting for their lives.'' Thor said. '' We have to find them now.''

'' Thor, we have to be patient.'' Steve said. '' If we go crazy looking for them like that, then it won't do them any good. It'll only get them killed. We can't risk it.'' He explained. Thor did not look pleased, but he did agree with what Steve said. Eventually Thor walked away, taking a seat on one of the benches in the jet beside where his hammer was resting. He did not move for the longest time.

At least, until he heard the beeping from the tablet.

Both he and Steve jumped up, rushing to Natasha's side after nearly twenty minutes of waiting. Their eyes flew to the tablet in her hands, where a few red dots were flashing across the screen.

'' What are those?'' Thor asked.

'' Beacons.'' Natasha said. '' This is where this little bug has been since the car crash.'' She explained. Natasha tapped on one of the dots that was just outside of New York City. '' Look here.'' She stated. She zoomed in the picture as far as it would go, revealing the are under the beacon. It was an open field, nothing else there. Natasha flicked her fingers, sending them to the next dot. This one was on top of a group of old buildings just outside of New York City as well. '' There.'' She stated.

'' What about it?'' Steve asked.

'' Take a closer look Steve.'' Natasha said, handing him the pad. Steve took it, looking all over the photo. '' Look at the cars parked just outside.'' She stated.

'' Ok.'' Steve did just that.

Shock filled him.

Those were the same armored cars that had come after them just hours ago.

'' That's them alright. It's hard to replicate what they were using.'' Natasha said. '' We know where to start. Even if the others aren't there, then someone else should be. They can tell us where to go.'' She explained.

'' What are we waiting for then? We must depart at once.'' Thor said.

'' JARVIS, set coordinates for this location.'' Natasha called out.

_**Certainly Agent Romanoff.** _

The jet jerked as it changed course to head towards New York.

'' I'm sure we will find them.'' Steve mumbled. '' We have to find them.''

'' We will Steve.'' Natasha assured. '' Even If we have to beat it out of these guys.'' She stated, a devilish grin on his face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry if this one seems a little short guys. I just finished my last final for my freshman year of college so I'm a little strung out at the moment, but I wanted to post for all of you lovely readers. The story broke 3,000 yesterday, and I am so happy about that, so please, keep reading.


	15. Chapter 15

The first thing Tony noticed when he woke up was that it was cold.

It was cold, and the room was dark.

When he opened his eyes he could not see much of anything in front of him. He could vaguely make out the outline of a table a few feet away, and what looked like chains hanging from the ceiling. Then there was nothing else, just the utter darkness mixed with the bone chilling cold.

His heart began to race as he shut his eyes, praying that this was all just a bad dream. It was too much like the cave. The wormhole appeared in his mind, open space floating around him. The bone chilling cold eating into his bones as he floated in what he thought would be his grave. It was terrifying. There was no stopping the shuddering breath that left his chest as he tried to compose himself. This was the last place he needed to have a panic attack.

'' Tony?''

His head snapped up at the sound, eyes searching for the source of it. Eventually he found two figures seated to his left watching him with worried eyes.

'' Tony, you with us?''

'' Bruce?'' Tony asked, voice shakier then he liked to admit.

'' Yeah, its me.'' Bruce said. '' Clint's here to.'' He stated.

'' You've been out for awhile Stark.'' Clint said, proving that he was actually there.

'' Where the hell are we?'' Tony asked. He moved as if to push up, but immediately stopped when he felt the cold metal wrapped around his wrists. He glanced up, horrified to find that his wrists were chained to the wall above his head.

Images of his time in Afghanistan began to flash across his vision. The void of darkness spread out around him, swallowing everything he knew, and taking his breath away. He slammed his eyes shut, his heart rate speeding up as he took a shaky breath. It felt really hard to breath.

'' I'm not sure where we are.'' Bruce said. '' But I do know that we are in trouble if we don't get out of here.'' He stated.

'' Yeah, don't mention that.'' Tony said. He forced his eyes open again after a few minutes, finding both Bruce and Clint staring at him with worry.

'' Stark?'' Clint spoke up, worry in his tone. '' What's wrong?''

'' The cave.'' Tony said. '' Wormhole.''

'' What?'' Clint asked, confusion crossing his face. Tony saw it on Bruce's face when he realized what the engineer was talking about.

'' Afghanistan and New York, right?'' Bruce asked.

Tony nodded, throat too tight to speak.

'' Oh.'' Clint whispered, finally realizing what was going on. '' Is there something we can do to help?'' The archer asked.

Tony wanted to tell them, but his throat was far to tight to speak. He knew if he tried he could choke something out, but it may just send him further into panic. He focused on his breathing instead, head thrown back against the wall.

'' Why won't he say anything Bruce?'' Clint asked.

'' It's a bad anxiety attack.'' Bruce stated. '' He probably can't talk at the moment, I've seen it before.'' He explained.

'' Then what can we do to help him. We can't just let Tony suffer like this.'' Clint said. Tony was actually surprised to hear anger in his tone. That was the last thing that He had expected to hear from the archer. '' I swear, when I get my hands on these guys I'm going to kill them for doing this to him.'' He stated.

'' Get in line.'' Bruce stated. There was no missing the hint of anger to his tone. Tony was not sure, but he thought he had heard a bit of the Hulk come out in his voice when he spoke.

'' Would talking to him help?'' Clint asked. '' It's about all we can do at the moment.'' He stated.

'' I'm not sure.'' Bruce said. '' But we should try.''

Tony found himself nodding his head fast, ignoring the way that it made him dizzy. He noticed that the others were watching him.

'' Will talking help Tony?'' Bruce asked.

He nodded again.

'' Ok, yes or no questions then. I don't want to force you to talk right now, I know how hard that is.'' He stated. Bruce flashed him a sympathetic look when Tony finally glanced back in his direction. Bruce hated the look of pain in Tony's eyes. It made him want to hulk out right then and there just to get to the guys who had done this. Tony had been through enough in the last few days, he did not need this.

'' Let's start with a fun question. You were the one who put the ice bucket over Thor's bedroom door the other day, right?'' Clint asked.

Bruce was surprised when he saw the corner of Tony's lips pull up slightly as he nodded his head.

For the next hour, or however long, both Clint and Bruce went back and forth asking the engineer questions about anything they could think of. Eventually Tony managed to find his voice, so they moved from yes or no questions to more in depth ones. Bruce managed to get him talking about some of his projects he had been working on before the whole mess started.

Eventually, the two of them managed to ground Tony.

'' You good now Tony?'' Bruce asked.

'' Yeah.'' Tony whispered. He glanced over to the two beside him. '' Sorry about that.'' He said.

'' Why the hell are you apologizing for that?'' Clint asked. '' You had an anxiety attack, it happens, especially after what you've been through.'' He stated.

'' Honestly, the same thing would have happened to me if I hadn't seen what those men were going to do.'' Bruce said.

'' What are you talking about?'' Tony asked.

'' They were trying to get you out of the Iron man suit. They threatened to kill you if I didn't tell them how to get it off of you.'' Bruce said.

'' Shouldn't be surprised there.'' Tony said. '' But you should have just let them take me out. Now they have the suit.'' Tony said, a hint of horror to his tone. '' We can't let them have it.'' He stated.

'' Nat and the others should be out there looking for us now. Hopefully they can get here before they have the chance to sell it off.'' Clint assured.

'' Does anyone even know what these guys want from us?'' Tony asked.

Bruce and Clint both gave him sad looks.

'' No.'' They answered.

The hope that had been starting to build finally vanished.

 

\---

 

Steve glanced out the window. The sun was starting to rise on the horizon.

'' How far out are we now?'' Steve asked.

'' Another hour at least.'' Natasha said. '' Don't worry. We will get there. Try to get some rest.'' She stated.

'' I can't. I'm so worried that we won't find them there.'' Steve stated. '' Or worse, we will find them already dead.'' He whispered, horror in his tone. Natasha did not miss the haunted look to his eyes. She had seen that look before, and it was not a good thing. Steve was suffering, blaming himself for what had happened despite it not being his fault.

'' We will find them.'' Natasha said. '' You just have to have hope.''

'' That's kind of hard to come by these days.'' Steve mumbled.

'' We have to try.'' Natasha said. Steve nodded in agreement before glancing back out the window.

He prayed that the others were still alive.

 

\---

 

 The three team members lost track of time. Eventually light began to filter inside from a broken window across the way. They could just make out a tree line in the distance, but nothing more.

'' At least its not dark anymore.'' Clint mumbled.

'' Have you gotten anywhere with those cuffs?'' Bruce asked, glancing over to the archer. Clint had managed to somehow get himself standing maybe an hour after Tony had woken up. He had taken the buckle from is belt, and he was attempting to use the clasp from it to pick the lock.

'' Nothing yet.'' Clint said. '' I can't get good leverage on it.'' He stated.

'' Keep trying.'' Tony encouraged. '' We can't just give up.''

'' I know, trust me.'' Clint said.

He continued at it for what felt like hours, until the sound of echoing footsteps could be heard coming down the hallway.

'' Shit.'' Tony whispered.

'' Barton, put the thing away, hurry.'' Bruce snapped.

Clint scrambled to put the little bit of metal somewhere. He managed to drop it just right so that it fell down the front of his shirt. Out of sight, therefore, out of mind.

And just in time for the two men from before to walk inside.

'' Hope you three slept well last night.'' One of them said, a devilish smile on his face.

'' Oh yeah, I'd rate this 5 stars.'' Tony said, shaking the chains holding his arms up to prove a point.

'' I'd be careful what you say Stark. It might just get you killed.'' The second man warned.

'' I'd prefer that over what ever the hell this is.'' Tony mumbled. The second man moved to approach him, but the first one stopped him.

'' Enough Kyle. He will get it just like the rest of them.'' He stated. The second one, now dubbed Kyle, pulled free of the first mans grip.

'' What do you want from us?'' Bruce asked.

'' Our boss wants to see you three in person.'' He stated. '' We were sent to bring you to him.''

'' Nah, I think I'm good here.'' Tony said.

'' I never said you had a choice.'' The man said. He stepped forward, pulling a key from his pocket. '' Bring in the backup.'' He said.

A moment later five more men were stepping into the room, all of them armed to the teeth. Two of them had guns that appeared to be fully loaded, while the other three held wicked looking batons. The metal teeth on the batons glistened as electricity raced through them.

Clint swallowed in horror at the sight, glancing towards the others.

So much for an escape plan.

'' Get them on their feet.'' He stated. '' And if they do anything, make sure that they learn just how bad a mistake they made.'' He said.

The five men approached, taking the key to unlock the cuffs around their wrists. They reached for Bruce first, being sure to keep the IV line in tact.

The second that they grabbed for Clint, the archer darted as if to escape.

The men had been expecting this.

In a split second one of them brought out the batons they were wielding. Tony and Bruce watched in horror as the baton connected with Clint's back.

Clint screamed out in agony as his body convulsed from the electricity flowing through him.

'' STOP THIS!'' Tony shouted, fighting the men holding him in place. He had to stop them. Clint was hurt enough already, this could kill him.

'' YOU'LL KILL HIM, STOP!'' Bruce screamed.

The two of them watched as Clint's eyes rolled back into his head once the guard took the baton off of him. The archer crumbled to the ground in a heap, twitching slightly. The sight had Bruce and Tony fighting harder to reach their friend. The guards were not pleased by this.

'' What will it take to get you to stop fighting.'' One of them seethed. He walked up behind where Tony was, and struck him in the back with the same baton he had used on Clint. 

Electricity coursed through Tony's body as he fell to the floor, writhing in pain. Eventually Tony fell forward, but the guard did not take the baton off. Once he did, it was not long before the baton was back on him, and he was once again screaming in agony.

'' NO!'' Bruce screamed. He lunged forward, wanting to free his friends from the pain they were in. Before he could get very far he felt a strange sensation take over. It was like his arms and legs had turned to lead. Before he even realized what was going on he was on the floor, one of the men reaching down to grab him.

'' Told you that you would not be changing Banner.'' The first man said, a sadistic grin on his face. He then moved out of the way, giving Bruce full view of what was happening to Tony and Clint. One of the guards had hoisted Clint over his shoulder, the archers hands now bound behind his back. Another guard was looming over Tony, and repeatedly hitting him with the electric baton. Bruce watched as he writhed in pain, screaming out.

'' This is what happens to you when you disobey.'' He stated. '' You have it easy Bruce, because we cannot risk an appearance from the other guy.'' He moved. '' Alright, that's enough Eli. We need Stark alive. Lets get them downstairs.'' He stated.

Bruce watched as the man now known as Eli holstered his baton, and bent over to pick Tony up. Tony was completely comatose, knocked unconscious by the electricity. At least, that was what Bruce hoped. Eventually one of the guards moved to pick him up. Once he was up in the air, Bruce found it nearly impossible to keep his eyes open any longer.

Eventually, darkness fell over his mind.


	16. Chapter 16

When Bruce woke up he found himself laying on his side against a cold cement floor. He could not feel his hands, the binding holding them behind his back having cut of blood flow to the appendages. Bruce rolled onto his back as best he could, glancing up at the ceiling above him. There was holes in the metal, allowing bits of light to filter through. There was a soft breeze in the room, telling him that somewhere the windows had been broken out.

'' He's awake, finally.'' Bruce heard someone said.

'' Get him up.'' A second man said.

Bruce saw a figure approach him, leaning over his prone form. He recognized the figure as Kyle, one of the men who had come to get them however long ago. It could have been hours, maybe days, Bruce was not sure.

Kyle manhandled him into a sitting position before hoisting him to his feet.

'' Move.'' Kyle demanded before shoving him forward. Bruce walked forward just as the man wanted, allowing him to lead him into another room next door. When he stepped inside he saw the three guards who had come for them standing stock still in front of him. They were facing something that was farther ahead, and Bruce could not make out what it was.

'' Come now, move aside. Let our guest in.'' Someone spoke up.

The three guards moved to stand against the wall, and then Bruce's eyes went wide.

Two chairs sat in front of a man standing in the middle of the room. The two chairs were occupied by Clint and Tony. Clint was not moving, his head bowed forward as he took harsh breaths. Tony's head was turned to Bruce, and the doctor could not ignore the fresh wounds littering the engineers face.

'' It is nice to meet you Dr. Banner. So nice of you to join us finally.'' The man said. Bruce watched as he turned, grabbing another chair. '' Come, sit.'' He said, setting the chair in between where Clint and Tony were at. Kyle was quick to shove Bruce forward. Bruce did not fight the man, allowing himself to be lead forward. He was sat in the chair, and felt the bindings come off his hands. However, it was not long before another guard stepped forward, forcing his arms against the arm rests of the chair. They were tied down once more, leaving Bruce immobile.

'' Is this how you treat all of your guests?'' Bruce asked. '' With torture?''

'' I only treat people that way if they deserve it. You, doctor, do.'' He stated.

'' You hurt my friends.'' Bruce seethed.

'' Bruce, don't.'' Tony warned. He glanced up to the engineer. He nearly flinched when he saw the terror in his eyes.

Just what had this guy done to them?

'' I hurt them because of what they did.'' He stated. '' They hurt our families, all of us. They killed people, doctor. Their hands are stained with blood just as much as yours.''

'' I never asked for this.'' Bruce said. '' This thing inside of me, I can't control it.''

'' Maybe not, but you could have turned yourself in. Then the Hulk would have never harmed my wife, and my unborn twins.'' He stated. '' As it is, the lives of the babies is still at stake here because of how early the doctors had to bring them into this world. What the Hulk did killed my wife, and if something doesn't change soon my sons will die to.'' He stated.

'' If you believe so, then why not just kill me right here?'' Bruce asked. '' You have the chance, just take the shot.'' He stated.

'' Because I read reports on what happened when you tried to do that yourself doctor. The other guy came out, and it was not a pretty sight.'' He stated. '' Plus, you serve a purpose here.''

'' What?'' Bruce questioned.

'' We want all the Avengers here, not just you three.'' He stated.

Bruce's eyes went wide with horror.

They had never planned to kill them once they were taken. They were being used as bait for the others.

It was a trap.

'' In another ten minutes or so their jet will be in range. We have a weapon taken from our men in SHIELD that will take them out. You three will watch as they die, and then it will be your turn.''

'' You're a monster.'' Bruce whispered.

'' Am I?'' The man asked, glaring at Bruce. '' Or are you the real monster here?''

Bruce knew his eyes flashed green. He wrenched at the restraints holding him in place, trying desperately to free himself. The man was not pleased by this as he motioned for someone behind Bruce to step forward.

'' Knock him out again.'' He stated.

'' NO!''

Something inside of Bruce snapped at the mans words. He refused to let anything else happen to his friends. He would not sit aside as they shot their friends out of the sky.

No one else was dying on his watch.

'' It's not working Boss!'' Someone shouted.

'' Get out now!'' Someone shouted.

'' NO, NOT WITHOUT THEM!''

 Bruce glanced down at his hands, noting how his skin had turned green, and the bindings were ripping. He could only grin as he gave into the other guy.

The Hulk was in control now.

 

\---

 

 Tony watched as the guards rushed over to where Clint was tied down.

'' Take him, he won't be able to fight back.'' Someone stated.

'' Don't touch him!'' Tony shouted. He watched as the two men wrenched Clint out of his chair, and they ran for the exit. '' GET BACK HERE!'' He shouted.

Before he could say anything else the sound of the Hulks roar rang out in the room. Tony flinched at the sound, head snapping over to where Bruce had been sitting. The chair was destroyed, nothing more then a pile of metal and plastic. The ropes that had held him down were strewn across the floor. There, just a few feet away from where the chair had been, stood the Hulk.

The Hulk was watching him for the longest time, never once taking his eyes off of him.

'' Hey there big guy.'' Tony said. He pulled against the ropes, hoping that they would rip. As he did so the Hulk approached him.

'' Hurt?'' The Hulk questioned.

Tony could not help the look of fear that passed his face when he glanced up to the Hulk. Then he noticed the worry in the Hulks eyes.

'' Tin man Hurt?'' Hulk questioned again, reaching out as if to help, but then he stopped.

Tony was able to breath a sigh of relief. It appeared that Bruce was guiding some of what the big guy was doing, if not all.

'' Yeah, I need help getting out of this one.'' Tony said. '' We need to go after Clint. He's hurt worse.'' He stated.

'' Help?'' Hulk asked, pointing to himself.

'' Yes. Help would be nice.'' Tony said. '' Think you can do something about these ropes?'' Tony asked.

The Hulk glanced down at the bindings, grunting, before reaching out to the chair. With a gentleness that Tony had never seen the green guy use before, he managed to break off the arms of the chair, giving Tony enough movement to get his arms and legs free. He moved to stand up, but a wave of dizziness struck him before he could get very far. He reached out, hand resting on the Hulks arm to steady himself. Pain radiated through out his body. His chest ached, which was what scared him the most. Tony glanced down to the reactor, afraid of what he might find. The reactor appeared to be working just fine, but something was wrong with the connection.

Had something short circuited when he was electrocuted?

'' Ok?'' Hulk asked.

'' I'll be ok.'' Tony assured. '' But we need to-''

He never finished before he heard the sound of the quinjet approaching.

The weapon that would take them out of the sky.

'' Oh god, we're to late.'' He whispered.

Hulk glanced up to the ceiling, looking for the source of the jet. He clearly recognized the sound.

'' Team in trouble?'' Hulk asked.

'' Yes. They're in trouble. '' Tony stated. '' They need your help big guy. Go help them.''

'' Tin man be ok?'' Hulk asked, glancing back to Tony.

'' I'll be fine, go help them first.'' Tony said.

The Hulk grunted in understanding. He took a step forward before launching himself into the air. He broke through the ceiling, debris sent in all directions. Tony turned away from the scene, covering his face to avoid any further injury. When the sound of metal hitting the floor finally fell silent he turned to face the gaping hole in the ceiling. He knew that the Hulk was going to be able to save them.

Now he needed to go after Clint.

He took a moment to compose himself. He was hurting all over, his body protesting every movement. He pressed a hand to his forehead, the cut there still bleeding sluggishly. His chest ached still, but the pain was slowly subsiding. Endorphins was starting to kick in. His head hurt like hell, but he would have to push it aside for another time. Right now Clint needed him. So, with all the willpower that Tony could muster, he began to stumble his way through the building to find his missing teammate.

 

\---

 

'' We're here.'' Natasha called out.

Steve and Thor both rushed to the pilots chair, looking out the window to see the landscape below. There was a large group of buildings below, only two stories high.

'' What is that place?'' Steve asked.

'' It was a school I believe.'' Natasha stated. '' Went out of commission years ago. It would be the perfect place to hide out.'' She stated.

'' And you're sure this is where the tracker took us?'' Steve asked.

'' Positive. This is the place.'' She stated. '' I'm taking us down.'' She said.

The jet dipped forward as they began to head towards the ground. A minute passed with no problems.

And then a warning flashed on the HUD.

'' Oh god.'' Natasha whispered. '' Hang on to something. We're being fired at!'' She shouted.

Steve and Thor both reached for the straps hanging from the ceiling, but they did not reach them in time before the jet was tilting to the side. Steve and Thor both were sent tumbling to one side of the jet. They hit the wall hard, jarring their previous injuries.

Steve pushed himself up as best he could as the jet moved to turn again. In a split second he managed to loop his arm through one of the straps on the bench, and held on for dear life as the jet turned the other way. Thor had done similar to him, but he was holding on with both hands.

'' Lady Natasha, where is the attack coming from?'' Thor asked as he moved to try and pull himself up.

'' I can't tell. Hang on, more missiles coming.'' Natasha shouted.

The jet rolled one way, and seconds later another. Steve was beginning to feel motion sick. He turned towards the cockpit to watch as Natasha struggled to dodge the oncoming missiles.

They knew they were coming. That was all Steve could think.

He moved as if to pull himself towards the cockpit, but before he could he felt the entire jet shake.

They had been hit by one of the missiles. The jet was filled with rushing air, whipping at their clothing and trying to pull them from the jet. Steve had to grab on with his other hand to keep from being pulled out of the jet. Thor was struggling to hold himself in place beside him.

'' Hang on!'' Natasha shouted.

'' About all we can do.'' Steve shouted back.

The jet began to pitch forward, and then they were in freefall.

The next few seconds seemed to stretch by for hours. Steve felt his feet leave the floor as he became weightless. He turned to face Thor, who looked horrified by what was happening. The god had summoned Mjolnir to his hands, and he was reaching out to try and grab him.

'' Get Nat.'' Steve shouted.

Thor nodded before moving towards the cockpit.

Then, just as fast as their decent had started, it stopped.

The jet was struck again, but this time it was not by a missile. 

It was by a big green thing.

'' Hulk.'' Steve breathed.

The hulk managed to take the brunt of the blow when they fell. It was a rough landing none the less, but they did not die.

Steve did not dare move until the jet came to a complete stop. He finally released the straps he had been clutching onto, moving to the cockpit to help Thor get to Natasha. Natasha was a little dazed, but she was awake. They managed to get her free of the restraints holding her into her seat, and helped her from the jet.

Once they stepped outside they heard the Hulk roar. The big guy came around the jet, eyeing the three teammates.

'' Hurt?'' Hulk asked.

'' We are alright my friend.'' Thor said.

'' Hulk, where's Clint and Tony?'' Steve asked. '' We need to find them.''

'' Tin man inside, no suit.'' Hulk said. '' Hawk hurt. Men took him.''

'' They've got Clint held captive.'' Natasha whispered, horror in her voice.

'' And Tony doesn't have his suit.'' Steve said.

'' We must go aid them.'' Thor said.

'' I'm with you.'' Steve said.

'' I don't care what the hell you two say, I'm going in there to.'' Natasha said.

Steve looked up to the hulk. The hulk grinned, grunting an affirmative to the three.

'' Lets get in there and rescue our friends.'' Steve said.


	17. Chapter 17

Clint could barely tell where he was when he finally woke up.

He could tell that someone was carrying him, and that said person was running. He felt like he was bouncing all over the place, his forehead connecting with the mans back every few seconds.

Clint forced himself to remain limp in the mans arms. He did not want to give away that he was actually awake.

His head was pounding, and he could feel blood on his face from the beating he must have received earlier. He pushed all these feelings to the back of his mind, focusing on the present. He was not sure where he was, or where Bruce and Tony were. For all he knew, and feared, they could be dead.

Clint pushed that thought to the back of his mind. They were alive, he just knew it. The two were far to stubborn to get themselves killed here.

Clint let his eyes drift shut as the men carrying him continued to run.

 

\---

 

Steve was the first one to step foot into the building.

Looking around the tattered remains of the hallway revealed that the building was barely sound. It was a wonder that it was still standing given the beating it had taken over the years.

'' Mother nature didn't waste her time with this place.'' Natasha mumbled, glancing above them to the ceiling. There were holes large enough that they could see through to the second floor, and through the roof of the building.

'' We must not waste time here.'' Thor stated. '' We must find our comrades before something can happen to them.''

'' We may need to split up to cover more ground.'' Natasha suggested.

'' No.'' Steve snapped, turning to face her. '' No splitting up, we stick together as a team.'' He stated. He glanced up to where the Hulk was standing. '' That includes you Hulk. Stay close to us.'' He said.

'' Hulk do as blue man says.'' Hulk grumbled. It was clear he did not like the decision, but he must have known just how serious this rescue mission was. The last thing they needed was to get separated again, because it would only lead to them getting kidnapped, or worse, killed.

'' Alright, lets move.'' Steve said. He pulled the mask over his head, pulling his shield off his back in the same move. Natasha grabbed for the two batons she often used in combat. Thor held up Mjolnir, ready for an attack at a moments notice. Hulk only grinned at Steve, which was all he needed to see to know that the big guy was ready.

Then, they were off.

 

\---

 

 Tony leaned heavily against the nearby wall, hand pressed against his chest as he tried to take a steady breath.

Everything was starting to ache, his chest the worst of all. There was definitely something wrong with the connection, but whether the pain was the shrapnel, or the reactor itself, he was not sure. However, the not knowing only made it worse. It scared him to think that he could be dying and he had no idea why.

He guessed he would find out eventually. If it were the shrapnel then it would kill him within the hour. If it were the reactor then he may be able to pull through long enough for JARVIS to bring him a spare.

The second option, however, depended on if he could find his missing suit in time.

Tony was not sure how much longer he could keep this up. The pain was becoming debilitating, he was without the Iron Man suit, and he had no idea if the Hulk had actually gotten to the rest of the team in time. Not only that, but Clint was still out there somewhere, and he had no flipping clue where he was.

'' Dammit.'' Tony cursed. He slowly lowered himself to the floor, head thrown back against the wall.

He was losing hope.

He sat there, eyes shut in concentration as he tried to get ahold of the pain once more. He had to keep moving, he had to find Clint before these guys killed him. But how could he do that when he was in this much pain?

Then something dawned on him.

There was a way, he hoped, that he could fix the connection in the reactor.

Tony pushed himself up so he was sitting up against the wall, one hand already reaching for the reactor. He twisted it, unlocking the failsafe locks he had put in place after Stain had pulled it out of his chest all those years ago.

Tony took a deep breath, and took the reactor out of his chest.

 

\---

 

Steve peered around the corner of the hallway, looking down towards what he presumed was the gymnasium in the building.

'' See anything?'' Natasha asked.

'' There's chairs knocked over in what I assume was the gym.'' Steve said. '' But I don't think anyone's in there.''

'' They must have been holding them there.'' Thor said.

'' We must be close.'' Natasha said. '' Surly they couldn't have gotten far with Clint. Tony has to be close behind them.'' She explained.

'' We better hurry then.'' Steve said. '' Let's move.''

They made their way through the building a little further. Steve had turned to approach a staircase that he had spotted a little ways away.

However, Natasha was quick to notice something else.

She turned to her left, where another hallway stretched down to a second set of stairs. There was something dripped on the ground leading towards the stairs. She quickly bent down, reaching out to touch it.

When she brought her fingers back to examine them, they were dotted with crimson.

Blood.

'' Steve.'' Natasha called out. '' You need to see this.'' She stated.

She heard heavy footsteps, and then Steve was beside her. The captain knelt down, eyes glued to the dots of blood on the floor. There was no missing the flash of horror that passed his gaze.

'' Who's blood is it?'' Thor asked once he caught sight of it.

'' Not sure.'' Natasha said. '' The trail leads this way. We should follow it.'' She stated.

'' We better hurry.'' Steve said.

They rushed down the hallway, following the trail for a ways. It seemed to stretch on forever.

Then they turned to the right.

They found a body laying on the ground against the wall. Steve was the first to take a few steps forward, and when he did recognition passed his face.

'' Oh god, Tony.'' Steve whispered. He ran forward, rushing towards the downed engineer. He heard Natasha and Thor close behind him, The hulk still following them as close as he dared.

Steve was the first one to reach the engineer, turning him over so that he was laying on his back. Tony's eyes were shut, his head lulling to the side. The sight brought back the memories of the New York battle. When Tony had fallen from the portal he had not moved, and the reactor was not glowing like it should have been. Steve's eyes immediately dropped to the reactor. His heart clenched in fear at the thought of finding it dead, the light having gone out long before they could have reached him. He was relieved to find that it was glowing this time, just as bright and strong as it should.

He breathed a sigh of relief. There was still hope.

Natasha was at his side in a second, already reaching out to check for a pulse. It took her a minute to find it, but eventually she did.

'' His hearts beating.'' Natasha said. '' But its weak.'' She stated.

'' What the hell happened to him?'' Steve mumbled, unable to fathom why he was just laying here in the hallway.

'' Is he hurt?'' Thor asked.

'' Looks that way.'' Steve said. Giving Tony a once over revealed what injuries he could see on the outside. His face was all cut up, with one deep gash just above his left eye. There were burns along his arms, but they did not appear to be normal burns. They looked more like an electrical burn. Steve had no doubt that he may have a few broken ribs as well. '' But it shouldn't have taken him down like this.'' He stated. '' Something else is wrong here.''

'' Something else.'' Natasha whispered.

A beat of silence passed.

Then, all of a sudden, horror passed Natasha's face as she moved to pull the hem of Tony's shirt up.

'' Nat, what are you doing?'' Steve asked.

'' The reactor.'' She whispered. '' Something must be wrong with the reactor.''

'' What do you mean?'' Steve asked.

'' Sometimes if its jostled just right it can mess up the connection.'' Natasha explained. '' Tony explained it to me shortly after New York, he said that was why it shut off when he fell out of the wormhole. He wanted one of us to know how to fix it, so he told Bruce and myself.''

'' Are you sure you can fix it?'' Steve asked, horror in his voice.

'' I hope there's still time left.'' was all Natasha said as she continued with her work.

Steve watched as Natasha's hands moved nimbly with the reactor. She clicked it out of the socket for only a second before quickly moving to put it back in place. Steve watched as she twisted it slightly, hearing clicks every few seconds before she would change direction.

Finally, they heard the last click.

The three of them waited, holding their breaths.

Then they watched as Tony took a gasp of breath, eyes flying open.

Steve kept a hand on Tony's shoulder when the engineer tried to shoot up off the floor. He held him down against the ground. Tony's breathing was shaky as he took gasping breaths. His eyes were wild, flying all over the place. It was clear to them that he was confused as to where he was at.

'' Tony, listen to me.'' Steve spoke up. He needed to ground him before this confusion slipped into something worse. '' You're safe. You passed out in the hallway at..... Where ever this school is. Natasha had to fix the reactor.'' He stated.

Steve watched as Tony's eyes found their way to look up at him. There was still confusion in his gaze as he glanced from Steve to Thor, then to Natasha, and then to the Hulk.

The confusion melted away a second later, and he finally took a steady breath.

'' That was a close call.'' Tony mumbled, barely above a whisper.

'' What the hell happened to you Tony?'' Natasha asked. She and Steve slowly helped Tony to sit up against the wall.

'' You gave us quite a scare friend Stark.'' Thor said, patting him on the shoulder.

'' They electrocuted us if we stepped out of line.'' Tony said. '' It messed with the connection. I had to do something or eventually it was going to kill me.'' He stated.

'' And you would have died if we hadn't found you.'' Steve said. Tony gave off a soft laugh at his words.

'' I guess I'm just lucky.'' Tony said.

'' Like I said earlier, he's to stubborn to get himself killed even if he tries.'' Natasha said. The Hulk grunted behind them. Tony turned his gaze up to the big green guy, and smiled.

'' I see you found them in time.'' Tony said. '' They wouldn't be alive if it weren't for you.'' He stated.

The Hulk grunted yet again, a small grin spreading on his face.

'' Have you guys found Clint yet?'' Tony asked.

'' No. We found you first.'' Steve stated. '' We figured you were following him.''

'' I wasn't.'' Tony said. '' I was trying to find him. They took off with Clint before I was even free of that damn chair.'' He explained.

'' So you have no idea where Clint's at?'' Natasha asked.

'' No, sorry.'' Tony said.

Thor pushed to a stand, glancing down the hallway.

'' We must find our last comrade before something befalls him.'' Thor stated. '' Shall we go.''

'' Think you can stand Tony?'' Steve asked.

'' Only one way to find out.'' Tony said, already holding his hand out for some help up. Thor was quick to grab the outstretched hand, while Natasha and Steve hovered close to his side in case he fell. Thor moved slowly as he helped Tony get to his feet. Once he was up, Thor did not let go of his hand. Tony looked a little unsteady on his feet.

'' Are you sure you can walk?'' Steve asked, worry in his tone.

'' Yeah, I'll be fine.'' Tony said. However, the strain in his voice said otherwise.

Thor let go when Tony pulled to free himself. Then the three watched as Tony moved to take a step forward.

He immediately tripped, falling forward.

'' TONY!''

Thor was quick to grab him by the shoulders, holding him steady. Steve was quick to rush around to face him.

'' You're not ok.'' Steve said. '' You're hurt worse then you think.''

Tony looked ready to argue with him, but fell silent, his gaze falling to the floor.

'' How bad?'' Natasha demanded.

'' Pretty bad.'' Tony finally admitted, refusing to meet their gazes.

'' Friend Stark, you cannot continue on in this state.'' Thor said. '' You will only injure yourself further.'' He stated.

'' I know.'' Tony said. '' But.... But I can't just sit by while they have Clint. I have to do something. He was hurt really bad, I can't just sit by knowing that he's out there somewhere, when there's something I could have done to stop it.''

'' Tony, if you're hurt you shouldn't be in the field.'' Steve said.

'' If only I knew where the hell they put the suit.'' Tony mumbled. '' You need it to go against those guys.''

Steve glanced up to Natasha and Thor. It was clear to all three of them that Tony was not going to back out of this one, no matter what they had to say. Steve sighed, dragging a hand down his face.

He hoped he was not going to regret this.

'' Thor, help Tony out. We need to keep moving so we can find Clint, and find his suit.'' Steve explained.

The look that Tony shot at Steve was absolutely priceless. Shock and awe was buried in those dark eyes.

'' Are you serious Capsicle?'' Tony asked.

'' I know I'll regret it later, but yes, I'm serious.'' Steve stated.

'' We must be going if we are to find these men.'' Thor urged.

'' Right, lets go.'' Steve said.


	18. Chapter 18

Clint was placed on the ground at the feet of the guards that had carried him here.

'' Get the bomb ready.'' Someone whispered. '' We aren't going to make it out of this one alive, so we better take as many of them with us.''

'' What about him?'' Someone asked. Clint was sure they were talking about him.

'' We take him with us to the grave. After all, he was working with Loki for those few days leading up to the attack. He's even more to blame for what happened then the rest of the Avengers.''

'' Alright.''

Clint let his eyes shut, suppressing a shudder. He could still remember when Loki had messed with his mind those days. It had felt so cold, like he was standing in a field of snow without a jacket or anything to keep him warm. He had been able to see everything that was going on around him, but he had no control of his body. It had reminded Clint of a zombie almost, brainwashed and unable to control anything.

He forced himself to take a deep breath. He still struggled with coming to terms with what had happened to him. His wife had helped him the most, but she was not here right now. She was back at home with the kids, taking care of the house.

At least she was safe.

He just wished he would be able to send her a last word, to be able to tell her how much he loved her.

 

\---

 

Natasha could hear voices up ahead of her.

Someone was close by.

She held a hand up, motioning for the rest of the team to stop where they stood.

'' What is it?'' Steve asked in a soft voice.

'' I hear someone talking up ahead.'' Natasha explained. '' I have no doubt that its the men who took Clint.'' She explained.

'' Are you positive about that?'' Tony asked.

'' Can't say, but we can hope.'' Natasha said. She turned to face the rest of the team. It had taken them some time to get here. In the process of making their way through the building they had managed to find the room where those men had been holding the Iron Man armor. There had only been one man guarding it, which Natasha had taken out without any problem. Now Tony was donning the armor, but the helmet was retracted. It really didn't serve a purpose since the faceplate was missing.

'' We need to be careful about this.'' Steve reminded. '' It could be a trap.'' He stated.

'' I know that just as much as the rest of you.'' Natasha said. '' So who wants to go in first.''

'' I will.'' Steve said. '' If It's truly a trap, the shield should protect me.'' He explained.

'' I shall follow behind. Mjolnir will be able to take them down without harming friend Barton if he resides inside.'' Thor said.

'' I guess we're taking up the rear then.'' Tony said with a shrug of his shoulders. Natasha nodded, indicating that he was right.

The Hulk grunted loud enough that only they could hear.

'' Of course we didn't forget about you big guy.'' Tony said. '' You go in after Thor.'' He stated. The Hulk grinned at him.

'' Alright, here we go.'' Steve whispered.

He stepped forward, turning to face whoever was inside of the room. He stood so that most of his body was protected by the shield. When he stepped into the room he saw two other men standing there. One of them was wielding a gun, pointing it at the man laying at their feet.

They were horrified to realize that it was Clint.

The archer was hurt, bleeding from many different cuts and lacerations on his face. He was watching Steve as his team slowly made their way into the room.

'' Looks like the boss's missile didn't work.'' One of the men commented.

'' He won't be pleased about this.'' The second man stated.

'' Alright. You've already hurt him long enough.'' Steve said. '' Why don't you let us take our friend, and we will forget this ever happened.'' He suggested.

'' Or, I have a better idea.'' the first man said. '' You hand over the Hulk, turned back into Banner of course. We want the Black Widow, and Stark as well. We will be taking this one with us to, after what he did under Loki's control.'' He stated.

'' Not going to happen.'' Tony seethed.

'' You shall not harm my comrades any further.'' Thor said. '' Now release my friend.'' He demanded.

'' Not going to happen.'' The guard said.

There was a click from behind them.

The Hulk roared as he reared back to attack the man who had snuck up on them. Tony and Natasha both turned to face him, ready to attack. They found another man standing there, who had a gun pointed at them.

'' Not you again.'' Tony mumbled.

'' You know this guy Stark?'' Natasha asked.

'' Yeah, he's the one who took my suit.'' Tony stated. '' At least, that's what Bruce told me. He was the one who had Clint tortured when he tried to escape.'' He added. This had anger flashing across Natasha's face. She cocked her gun, ready to fire it at the man.

'' You've messed with the wrong people here.'' She stated. '' You should have just left us alone when we escaped SHIELD.''

'' But then you would get away with what you did to our families.'' The man stated. He turned towards Tony. '' Just how is it that you managed to get the suit back?'' He asked.

'' You only had one man guarding it. You should've known better.'' Tony said with a shrug.

'' Guess I'll never get the chance to learn from my mistakes. After all, we only have a few seconds left.'' He stated.

'' What?'' A look of horror passed Natasha's face.

'' This place is rigged to blow. None of you will make it out alive from this one.'' He stated. He lowered his gun. '' You could kill me now, but it won't do you any good.'' He explained.

The other two lowered their weapons before kicking Clint across the floor. The archer cried out as he was sent rolling until he stopped at Steve's feet.

'' We will be known as the men who killed the Avengers.'' The newcomer said.

'' NO!''

Natasha turned towards Clint, rushing as if to grab at him. Steve was already knelt over him moving to pick the man up. Thor was swinging his hammer, attacking the two men who had kicked Clint.

'' GET HIM OUT OF HERE!'' Steve shouted. Natasha saw him hand Clint off to someone, which was revealed to be Tony. He took off carrying Clint down the hallway as quickly as the suit could move. Natasha moved to follow them on foot, but before she could even take a step there was a big green hand wrapping around her waist. She was hoisted up into the air by the Hulk, who was already bounding for the exit.

'' STEVE!''

Natasha turned around, watching as Steve turned to face her. He gave her a salute.

Then everything exploded in shades of red and orange.

 

\---

 

The explosion sent Tony flying before he had even reached the exit. 

He could feel the heat of the fire against his back, burning him through the armor. Clint had no protection on him. Tony, in an attempt to save the archers life, curled his body around him just before the explosion sent him flying through the air. 

Tony was fighting to stay conscious. Darkness was edging in on the corners of his vision. Everything was spinning around him. 

Then he saw the ground below him. 

He spun so that his back was to the ground, making sure that Clint was still protected as they plunged to the ground. 

Everything was dark for minutes after they hit the ground. When Tony finally managed to pull himself back to reality, he found himself sitting in a crater stretching at least twenty feet wide. However, that was not what worried him. 

Clint was not in the crater with him. 

'' Clint?'' Tony called out. He pushed to a stand, stumbling slightly. The suit was out of power, Tony realized. He knew that he could not look for Clint with the battery drained, so he had to pull the emergency release. Once the suit pulled away from his body Tony stumbled forward, nearly falling. '' Clint!? Where are you Clint?'' Tony yelled. He climbed out of the crater, eyes scanning the area for signs of the archer, or the rest of his team. 

The only thing he saw was a burning building. 

'' Oh god.'' Tony whispered. His knees gave way as he fell to the ground, eyes never leaving the building. The rest of the team had still been inside there. There was no way they should have survived this. 

'' Stark.'' 

Tony's eyes shot up to his left. Through the haze, he was able to see a figure trying to walk towards him. Tony found enough strength to force himself to his feet, and he found himself running towards the figure. 

It was Clint. 

The archer was barely walking, his body trembling from pain and exhaustion. He was gripping at his arm, which was bleeding pretty bad. It was bent at a wrong angle as well, clearly broken in a compound fracture. There was blood coating the right side of his face, coming from a deep gash to his head. Clint stopped walked once Tony got closer, his legs not having enough strength to hold him up. His knees felt weak, and before he knew it he was collapsing to the ground. 

'' Whoa.'' Tony reached Clint just in time to keep him from face planting into the ground. He caught Clint by the shoulders, and carefully guided him to the ground. He kept Clint's head in his lap. '' Don't fall asleep on me birdbrains. You gotta stay awake.'' Tony said. 

'' I'm awake.'' Clint assured, cracking one eye open. The other was caked over with blood. '' I hurt.'' He stated. 

'' I know. We're going to get you help, just hang on.'' Tony stated. He looked back towards the burning building. 

Were they the only two to get out of the building alive?

'' Where's Nat?'' Clint asked. '' She couldn't have still been in there.'' He whispered. 

'' I don't know.'' Tony said, unable to believe what appeared to be the truth. He could not believe this. 

These men had won. 

The two of them just sat in silence for awhile, eyes never leaving the building. 

Then, after what felt like years, there was a loud roar. 

Clint and Tony watched as something large and green came barreling out of the fire. 

'' Oh my god.'' Clint whispered. 

'' The big guy made it.'' Tony said. 

The Hulk barreled towards them, stopping just a few feet away from the two. Hulk was covered in burns, green blood oozing from a few of the more serious burns. Both of his arms were curled around something. 

'' You ok big guy?'' Tony asked. He was worried that the Hulk was actually hiding a serious injury. He and Clint watched as Hulk directed his gaze down to his arms, and as he uncurled them. 

A pair of eyes gazed back at them. 

'' Nat.'' Clint whispered. 

The Hulk gently placed Natasha down on the ground. She did not appear to be injured at all, save for little bits of her red hair that had been singed in the fire. Once Natasha was on the ground she rushed forward, kneeling beside Clint and Tony. 

'' I thought you were dead.'' Clint said. Natasha reached out, taking the hand he had held up to her. 

'' No. Steve made him get me out of that building.'' Natasha stated. She glanced up towards the Hulk, who grunted. 

'' What about Steve and Thor?'' Tony asked, glancing back towards the building. '' They were still inside when the bomb went off.'' He whispered. 

The Hulk turned back towards the building. He reared back, and a moment later he was in the air, heading back into the fire. The three team members watched as the Hulk disappeared into the fire. 

'' Do you think they actually survived that?'' Natasha asked. 

'' I don't know.'' Tony answered. '' I honestly don't know anyone who could have survived that.'' He added.

The three watched the fire as the sound of helicopters overhead filled their ears. 

 

\---

 

 When Steve woke up he realized that something was different. 

There was no fire, no burning pain, nothing. 

He felt numb, as if he were floating on air. He could hear the sound of a heart monitor off to his left. There was a prick in his elbow, clearly an IV line. 

He turned his head to the left, wanting to know what was around him. There was another hospital bed there, and laying on it was none other then Thor. The god was turned on his side, facing Steve. There was gauze wrapped around his bare arms and legs. He was also attached to an IV. 

'' Good to see you're finally awake.'' 

Steve turned his gaze over to the right. He found another figure he hadn't noticed before standing there. Natasha was smiling down at him. 

'' You've been out for a few days now.'' She stated. 

'' What happened?'' Steve asked. 

'' The bomb exploded. Tony managed to get Clint to safety, and the Hulk got me out without a scratch. But, you and Thor weren't so lucky.'' Natasha explained. '' You were burned pretty bad, and the blast broke your leg. Thor was burned pretty bad to, but he's healing faster.'' She explained. 

'' Where are the others?'' Steve asked. 

Natasha gave him a soft smile before moving aside. To Steve's right was another hospital bed. Clint was laying in it, one arm wrapped in a cast, while one half of his face was covered with bandages. The archer was sleeping peacefully, his hand twitching every few minutes. That was normal for the archer, so Steve was not worried by it. Past the bed was an old couch. Bruce was laying on it, a blanket draped over his body. He was still wearing his reading glasses, and there was a book laying on his chest. Beside the couch there was a chair leaned up against the wall. Tony was leaning back in it, head leaned back against the wall, deep in sleep. 

'' I told them to go home and get some rest, but they wouldn't listen to me.'' Natasha said. '' They wanted to be here when you woke up.'' She explained. 

Steve smiled at the sight, leaning back in the bed. 

'' What happened to the men who attacked us?'' Steve asked. 

'' Dead.'' Natasha said. '' They died in the blast.'' She explained. 

'' All of them?'' Steve asked. 

'' All of them.'' Natasha assured. She reached out, grabbing ahold of Steve's hand. '' It's over. We don't have to be afraid anymore.'' She stated. 

Steve nodded, a smile on his face as his eyes slid shut. 

They could finally rest.

 

\---

 

It was nearly a week before Steve was allowed to leave the hospital. He was still healing, some of the burns on his back still needing some time. His leg was still in the brace, but the doctors said he should only need it for another few days. 

When they returned to the tower the repairs from the second attack had been finished. The communal floor was where all six team members found themselves once they arrived. 

The team was curled around Steve on the couch. Natasha was directly to his left, leaning against his arm as she watched the movie that Tony had picked out for them to watch. Clint was right beside her, his hand resting on her leg. Thor was sitting in his own armchair, but there was no missing the glanced that the god constantly sent their way. He was worried for them, and Steve did not blame them one bit. 

Bruce and Tony both were sitting to his right. Bruce was sitting directly beside Steve, eyes flitting between the TV and the book in his lap. Tony was sitting beside Bruce, reading through hundreds of emails that he had received during those days that they were in the air. 

Steve sighed, leaning back into the couch. 

This was his family. This was what it should have been like those days they were on the run, but those people had taken it from them. They could be dead right now, but somehow, despite all the odds, they had survived. 

Steve smiled.

'' What's got you in such a good mood Capsicle?'' Tony asked. He glanced over to the engineer. 

'' Despite everything that happened to us, we're all still here, still kicking.'' Steve said. '' It's like nothing can take us out.'' He stated. 

'' I can't argue with that.'' Clint said. 

'' I cannot either.'' Thor stated, holding his glass up as if to cheer. 

'' We're all to stubborn to get killed, I'll just keep saying it.'' Natasha said with a laugh. 

'' Unless you're the hulk.'' Bruce said. '' Who can survive just about anything.'' 

''  I'll believe that the Hulk can be killed when I see it.'' Tony stated. Bruce just shook his head in annoyance, while the rest of the team laughed. 

This was family, a family that Steve never wanted to lose. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, I can't believe that its over.   
> I hope that you all enjoyed this story, and if you did don't hesitate to comment or kudos this piece.   
> Also, I want to put an offer out there that if any of you have an idea for an Avengers related story then I would love to hear it. I normally write stories mainly about Tony because he is my favorite Marvel character, but I still want to hear any idea's that you have.   
> Thank you all so much for reading this.


End file.
